Issues of Love
by XxDeafening.SilencexX
Summary: When Sasuke and Naruto are stuck in a beach house in which bickering couples seem to materialize anytime, naked I might add, they find the only way to send them back is to resolve their love problems. SasuNaru among many other pairings.
1. Vacation

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. If I did I would share with all my friends and make them all very happy. But I don't. So I can't. Don't rub it in.

**Author's Note:** Yes, this is AU. And really, I'm pretty much just writing this for a friend on ff.n. She actually wants to read this attempt I made. Ok? So I won't care if you complain. I'm going to keep writing it. Though constructive criticism is welcome,because I would like to make this better if I can. Oh, and this is my first fic.

-Chap. 1- Vacation-

"No."

"What? Come on!"

"No."

"Sasuke!"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"Why not?"

"No."

"…IS THAT THE ONLY WORD IN YOUR VOCABULARY?"

"Yes." He smirked. It was just so easy to stir Naruto up to a tantrum.

"SASUKE!"

The Uchiha finally turned around to face the now red-faced blonde, tutting. "You shouldn't get mad so easily. It's bad for your health."

A vein twitched dangerously on Naruto's forehead. Tut tut. "You'll die early of a stroke if you can't control yourself."

"Sasuke, we are not discussing how likely I am of dying by way of stroke. Just answer my question!"

He rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you? NO."

"But why not?" he whined.

Sasuke rolled his black eyes. "Because I _know_ you'll mess it up somehow, and then Kakashi-sensei will think we were lovers or something…"

At that remark Naruto stiffened slightly, before his features crumpled into sadness. He turned around and slowly took a few steps away, then sat down forlornly on the grass, pulling his knees up to his chest. "But… I thought we _were_ lovers."

Sasuke was freaking out inside. He hadn't meant it like that! Guilt was rushing into his system. Why did he just have to say the wrong thing? He rushed over to the blonde, (perhaps just a bit too quickly) sat down, and put his arms around him, leaning his head on his shoulder. "We were, and we are! But you don't want Kakashi-sensei to learn our secret, do you?"

"No, I suppose not…" Sasuke sighed in relief as he felt the blonde relax under his touch. Phew. Life could be so so difficult when Naru-chan was mad at him…

"But-" Naruto stopped, leaving that word hanging in the air, and Sasuke, naturally curious about what was left unsaid, pushed a little.

"What? What were you going to say?"

"Well, don't you have enough confidence in me to let me ask Kakashi-sensei for vacations for the both of us without letting slip our relationship?"

Oh, this was tough to answer. Sasuke tried to think up an answer that would still allow him to keep his arms on the blonde beside him. "Um, well, you aren't like this around anyone except me, you know? To everybody else you're hyperactive, and your uh… vocabulary and attention span is much less developed."

"Is it wrong that you're special to me? And that I show you a different side of me?" He started to shift, moving out of Sasuke's arms.

The Uchiha hurriedly reassured the blonde. "No! That's why I love you… and I show you a different side of me as well to reciprocate. It's just… Kakashi-sensei might _infer_ something if we ask him out of the blue to give us both a vacation to the beach. We need a plausible excuse."

"Well, isn't that obvious? You still need to heal and recover from your latest clash with your brother…" His eyes flitted over Sasuke's tall frame, resting on where he knew there were still traces of deep cuts and bruises, and sometimes worse. Sasuke flinched as he endured Naruto's thorough examination. Since that time, when the blonde himself had found him much more than half dead after encountering Itachi once again, he had been worried sick. And he hadn't left his side. Which, Sasuke thought, wasn't exactly a bad thing, but it had made other people (Kakashi for example) suspicious…

"Yes, but that doesn't explain why you would be coming with me."

"It doesn't?" Naruto turned his head and raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. Then he said affectionately, "Sasuke-baka. Of course it explains. I'm going with you to help you train. Who else would you spar against?"

"Hmm." It was short and a bit cold.

"Oh come on, don't get mad just because I'm smarter." Even Sasuke's one syllable grunts carried a whole lotta meaning to the blonde, and he knew the taller boy was annoyed by his reproof.

Sasuke didn't answer, concentrating on ignoring the smaller boy beside him. Of course, that was proving a little difficult, since he still had his arms around the boy andsaid boywas breathing on Sasuke's tender neck.

"Sasuke." That sent barely repressed shivers through the dark haired boy.

"Hmm?"

"Don't you want to spend some time with me? All _alone_? In a beautiful house by a beautiful beach? Doesn't that sound _nice_?" The blonde drew out the last word in a purr, his lips almost touching the Uchiha's neck. And it did sound nice. It sounded _extremely_ nice.

Sasuke turned his head a little and caught Naruto's lips in a soft chaste kiss. It fit into the atmosphere after all. The air was light, the grass was green, the sky was a bright blue and cloudless. Dark and passionate kisses were for dark and passionate days, and this wasn't one of them. Naruto returned it without thinking, and the two boys got lost in each other's lips. Sasuke softly bit the blonde's lower lip, asking for entrance, and Naruto agreed immediately. After a few minutes of taking in the tantalizing warmths of each other's mouths, they separated, Naruto breathing a little irregularly, Sasuke with a small smile on his face. They were entranced by one another, and completely in love.

"You know, we could skip Kakashi and just ask Tsunade-sama." Sasuke frowned, annoyed at the blonde for breaking the peaceful silence.

"What would be better with the situation?"

"Well, I think Tsunade-sama already believes that our friendship has… er, evolved into something else, and she would be more likely to agree to the idea of a vacation. And also, she's not perverted."

Sasuke considered. "You do have a point."

---------

"So, may we go?" While Tsunade-sama thought about her decision, Naruto snuck a peek over at Sasuke, who was standing right by the door. It always amazed him how different Sasuke was around him, and especially when the dark-haired boy reverted back to his own personality. His eyes would close a tiny sliver, his hands would somehow get cold, and it seemed like he was gathering all his feelings and burying them once again inside himself. His face would show no emotions once again, like it was doing now.

And at those times Naruto would feel a twinge of fright. Fright that those feelings would never surface again, since Sasuke had hid them so well. Fright that Sasuke wouldn't return to _normal_. It was ironic, he knew, since his definition of normalcy with Sasuke was so drastically different than everybody else's perception of normalcy. But he was still afraid.

"Yes, you two may go." The Hokage's voice broke Naruto out of his thoughts. "But, just so I know where you two are, I'll choose the beach house."

"What?" Naruto asked, surprised. And Sasuke actually raised an eyebrow! Just 2 millimeters, but it counted! Ha!

"Well, I have to know where you two are, don't I?"

"Err, yes, but we wouldn't run off…" And you'd catch us so fast it'd be pointless to run in the first place. Naruto added in his mind but didn't say.

"Don't argue with me Naru-chan, not when I'm giving you at least 6 weeks off." Tsunade-sama added in a stern voice. Wait…NARU-CHAN? WTF? But Tsunade-sama didn't seem to notice anything awry and even Naruto knew better than to accuse the Hokage of being crazy especially in her own office. So he let it slide. But he was still confused… and he hated it when he was confused.Fortunately, he wasdiverted by something else.Six weeks sounded superb.

----------

"Sasuke-kun!" Naruto called loudly and waved to the dark-haired boy plodding slowly along the sand. Oh come on. Did Sasuke ever get excited? No, not very much… And at that moment Sasuke looked up briefly but immediately lost interest once again. Hmph. So that's how he felt right now, was it?

The blonde energetically bounded up to the Uchiha, sticking his face right underneath the other boy's line of sight. "What do you want, dobe?" Eventhe Uchiha'svoice seemed down.

"Why're you ignoring me?"

"…" No reply. The blonde grabbed the picnic basket from Sasuke, lightening the other's load while adding to his own. The dark haired boy did nothing to acknowledge his presence.

Gah, this was getting to be a problem. Sasuke wasn't usually this unresponsive around the blonde. Was there someone else around? Naruto looked around questioningly, but didn't see anyone… right? As he thought about it, there _was_ a slightly uncomfortable feeling in the air, but he couldn't pinpoint it. But he walked closer to Sasuke anyways. He was always safe as long as he was close to Sasuke. They were walking down the path that led to the beach, where they were going to spend the morning and where they were going to eat lunch. Naruto had insisted upon it. Of course, Sasuke had insisted right back that they needed to get unpacked so they were going to do that during the afternoon. But now was a time to enjoy oneself. Though Sasuke didn't look like he was enjoying himself…

But when they got to the beach, all of Naruto's worries melted away. That's how big an impact beautiful scenery could make on him. The sand was soft and fine, with no small rocks or shells to hurt one's feet; the ocean was a deep azure blue with the sky being a reflection of it, not the other way around. The sun was just a big sparkling diamond in the sky, and Naruto, instead of feeling insignificant in the face of this magnificence, just felt happy to be alive. Yep. And he had this huge grin on his face, showing just how he felt to anyone who could read his expressions. Which Sasuke, of course, could. And if the blonde had been looking at the dark-haired boy right then, he would have seen a small grin flit across the boy's face before being quashed.

Sasuke had to remind himself that a lot of his fangirls had stalked him here and was examining him right this second. If he acted any way differently then he usually did, they would know something was off. And they would probably target Naruto as being the source. And that would _not _be good. Because hell hath no fury like a group of obsessed fangirls ganging up on someone who was trying to steal their man. And doing more than ganging probably. Sasuke winced at the thought of it. And so now, he was acting all strange around Naruto and probably hurting his feelings a lot. Oh no… this was not how he wanted to start off his vacation with his beloved Naru-chan.

Ok, he just had to survive this morning. And then, when they got back to the house, they would get their privacy again. Sasuke would make sure of it.

-------------

Well, it was night. The sun had set hours ago. And they still didn't have the total privacy that Sasuke had wanted. (The fangirls were mostly all camped outside and bickering loudly) But it _was_ enough so that he and Naruto could sleep in the same bed and that the fangirls wouldn't find out. And Sasuke thanked the heavens that Naruto hadn't been angry enough to object to sleeping in the same bed as himself. He _had _been fuming at first, but had cooled down quickly and forgiven Sasuke once the Uchiha had explained why he had been acting that way and spoiling their first day at the beach. And that was an absolute relief…

Naruto always forgave quickly. Sasuke smiled tenderly down at the blonde beside him; he thought being quick to forgive was one of Naruto's greatest traits. But of course, it was hard to choose; the blonde was an example of many great virtues. Even if they didn't make love, (which they hadn't that night) it was ok for Sasuke to just be near the blonde, to just receive the warmth and kindness that Naruto gave to all others. Of course, it was nice having the blonde in _that _way as well…

But it was too late for those kind of thoughts. It was time to sleep. And Sasuke, with one more look through the darkness at the quietly sleeping blonde, closed his eyes and surrendered to the inevitable rest. Unfortunately, that night, sleep was just not meant to be at that moment.

With a super white and blinding flash of light, coupled with a loud boom, someone materialized. Two someones. In their bedroom. Sasuke couldn't make out a lot of details, but after sitting up and a few blinks, could finally see… OMG. They. were. naked.

And they were both boys…

-blush-

Sasuke quickly covered the now also awake, sitting up, and very confused blonde's not-so-virgin-but-still-needed-to-be-protected-eyes.

------------------------------------------

Hope you liked it. Tell me why if you didn't.


	2. Introductions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or Sukisyo. Unfortunately. –sigh-

**A/N:** Don't worry if you don't know what Sukisyo's about. Though I'd encourage you to watch it, since it's a really _really_ good anime, you don't need to just to understand this fanfic.

-Chapter 2, Introductions-

"Um, Sasuke?" Everybody else in the room was motionless, well, except for a LOT of blushing going on around the room, and apparently all holding their breaths, only the blonde dobe was talking…

"Yes, dobe?"

"Why're you covering up my eyes?"

"Because there's something inappropriate that you shouldn't see right now." To add effect to this, Sasuke threw the two naked boys a death glare. But they seemed just as scared and surprised as… well, Sasuke wasn't scared _or_ showing surprise, but as Naruto would've been if he had seen just who was in their bedroom.

At the incredibly frightening Uchiha death glare, the shorter boy (who actually looked quite like a girl) with the long pink colored pony tail, whimpered a little, and the blue-haired guy shot him a worried look before taking him in his arms. It looked natural, like they did it everyday, like the blue-haired guy had an innate sense of protectiveness towards the smaller boy. Sasuke wondered idly inside if their relationship was as… close as his and Naruto's. But the Uchiha on the outside just glared. Oh, and blushed a little. Because this kind of situation _did _have an effect on him, however unlikely that seemed…

The blue-haired guy glared right back, with the venom only a seme who was protecting his uke from strangers that frightened him could muster.

This very tense moment was broken by Naruto. He had gradually slipped Sasuke's fingers away from his eyes, and now could see what was happening. He screamed. LOUD. Like REALLY LOUD. So, that broke the tense moment. That might've also shattered one of Sasuke's eardrums, if not both.

But after Sasuke had shut Naruto up, by covering his mouth with one hand while caressing his neck with the other until he had relaxed and stopped screaming, the tenseness returned.

Naruto broke it once again. Thankfully, this time, not with an earsplitting scream. And he seemed so undisturbed by the two. He hadn't even blushed or anything. Sasuke hoped fervently that was because Naruto had a lot of self-control, not because he was used to naked boys coming out of nowhere in the middle of the night. NOT a good thought…

But back to what the blonde was saying. "So… who are you two and why are you here?"

They blinked. But finally the blue haired guy answered. "I'mHashiba Sora, and this isFujimori Sunao, and we have absolutely no idea why we're both here. But, um, do you guys have any clothes and some migraine medicine?"

"Why do you need migraine medicine?"

"Because I've got the biggest headache in the history of the entire world. And it's driving me nuts." The blue haired guy known as Sora answered, and Sunao nodded, as if to say, 'Me too.' without talking.

Sasuke gave up on trying to rationalize this situation. The facts were: 1. There were two naked guys in their bedroom. 2. They didn't know how they had gotten here, nor how to get back, so they were stuck here for a while. 3. They wanted clothes and migraine medicine. Well, there _had_ been that medicine cabinet in the bathroom…

Sasuke resignedly threw the warm covers off, and got out of bed. He was only wearing his boxers, but didn't bother putting anything else on, because there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Naruto had seen him in only boxers (and less) thousands of times, and Sora and Sunao? They were wearing even less!

"Naruto, you go find the migraine medicine while I go find these guys some clothes. I'd suggest looking in the cabinet in the bathroom." He pointed towards the master bathroom.

"But Sasuke, why do you get the easy job?" Naruto whined. He had gotten out of bed too, and was looking delicious in only his light blue boxers that matched the color of his eyes.

Sasuke allowed his eyes to roam while he answered casually, "Because I don't want these two to molest you while you're finding them clothes. You look very molestable right now, and I'm the only one allowed to molest you, remember?" Heh, it wouldn't do any harm to proclaim the relationship between him and Naruto, which Sasuke under normal conditions wouldn't have done, but Sora and Sunao already knew, and besides, their relationship was the same…

And awww, that's so cute. Naruto looked even more molestable with a crimson blush over his tanned skin. But Sasuke restrained himself. Sort of. His eyes promised there was going to be a later, and Naruto blushed even more. But then they went off to their respective tasks, with Sora and Sunao following Sasuke while Naruto went into the master bathroom and flicked the light switch on.

The blonde then went to the medicine cabinet (or something that looked like it) which was situated over the sink, (the doors doubled as mirrors) and opened it gingerly. Who knew what could be in there? Especially if this house hadn't been lived in for 9 months…

But when Naruto peeked in, no, the medicine cabinet didn't have spiders in it, or cobwebs, or any dust at all. No, it was packed FULL of, you guessed it! MIGRAINE MEDICINE. And when the blonde opened the doors as far as they could go, he saw a note taped onto the medicine, and he identified the writing as Tsunade-sama's…

He picked it up to read what was written. And it ran something like this:

_**Naruto and Sasuke:**_

_**If you've opened this cabinet and have found what you're looking for, then I guess that you've received… unexpected visitors. And even if you haven't, you should be prepared for the future. Let me tell you about the nature of this particular beach house. Within this house, strange powers I'm not at liberty to discuss are at work. Couples who are in a rut in their relationship are going to start showing up in the house at all times, unclothed and with huge headaches. This medicine should tide you over your six weeks. Anyways, the only way to send these estranged couples back to their original world is to solve their love problems. I have the utmost confidence in the two of you that you will accomplish this, since you two seem to be in a very steady relationship at the moment. -coughcough- Don't think that I don't know.**_

_**Don't try to come back before your six weeks are up. I'll just send you two back out, this time on the pretense of a mission and not a vacation.**_

_**Make me proud and don't destroy the house, Otherwise you can't send anyone back. And also because then I'd have to hunt you both down and make you build another beach house. So just don't.**_

_**Godaime Tsunade**_

_**PS- You two must be wondering why I would send you to a place like this. Well, the reason is simple. You two weren't going to train at all anyways, and this is a great way for me to make some use of you two while on vacation… Enjoy your stay. -sinister laugh-**_

"YOU HAG!" Naruto screeched to a nonexistent Tsunade in front of him, in effect making the house tremble like a leaf in the wind and waking up all of the fangirls camped outside.

-In Konohua, Tsunade's POV-

A terrifyingly loud scream of, "YOU HAG!" reached Godaime Tsunade's ears in the middle of the night, startling her wide awake. She sat up in bed, and after a few moments of blinking and yawning, she tried to analyze the voice she had just heard and came up with the conclusion of,

_Naruto? –tired grin- Guess he found the note. Well, he _better_ not make any trouble… _

The Hokage laid back down on her bed, closed her eyes, and was asleep again in no time.

-Back to the beach house, far _far_ away from Konohua-

Sasuke burst into the master bathroom, skidding to a stop in front of a now very livid blonde. The said blonde thenshoved a piece of paper in front of his piece, saying, "READ."

Sasuke read. And when he was finished, though the rest of his face was still expressionless, (behold the power of the famous Uchiha self-control) his eyes were ready to shoot fire and there was a vein pulsing dangerously on his forehead.

-splash-

Sasuke spluttered out through the wetness, "What was _that_, Naruto?"

"Isn't it obvious? I just threw a cup of water over your face."

"Yes, I _know_ that, but _why_?"

"Because you were ready to burn down the beach house with your eyes, and even though that would've solved most of our problems, we still need to send Sora-kun and Sunao-kun back." Naruto answered matter of factly.

Before Sasuke could form a retort, an unfamiliar voice called, "Call me Nao." It was the first time he had spoken since he had got here. And it was the first time the fierce blush had left his face. Probably because now he was clothed in a pair of Sasuke's boxers.

"Ok." The blonde smiled cheerily at Nao and Sora, then handed Nao a small rectangular box. "Here's the migraine medicine, and you can get water in the kitchen, down the stairs and to the right, ok?"

"Thanks." They walked away, and Naruto turned his attention back to Sasuke who was concentrating on examining his bare feet.

Naruto grabbed a towel off the towel rack beside the sink and started drying Sasuke's face off. One hand was holding Sasuke's chin up, and the other was holding the towel and tenderly patting Sasuke's face dry.

"Sorry about that Sasuke-kun, but you looked like you could use some cooling down and that was the only thing I could think of."

"Are… are you mad at me?" The Uchiha asked haltingly, and Naruto could read a slightly puzzled expression in his eyes.

"What would give you that idea?"

"You just called me Sasuke-kun. I thought we were past honorifics."

Naruto smiled sweetly. "Sorry about that. It was a lapse into past habits I suppose."

"Hmph, just promise not to do it again, ok?" Sasuke was now 100 percent dry again, but as Naruto tried to lift his hands away, he found Sasuke's hands on top of his, holding them down.

"Ok." Naruto mouthed silently as Sasuke drew closer and placed a soft kiss upon his forehead before moving down to his lips. Their lips locked together in a soulful kiss, which was only interrupted by their mutual lack of air. They surfaced from their own blissful world, and found, to their embarrassment that they had an audience watching them.

Sora and Nao sported identical soft grins as they watched the two lovers, and their grins only grew bigger as Sasuke clutched Naruto protectively to him. They were amused by how self-conscious the two people in front of them were in showing their affection; obviously they weren't used to showing their love in public.

"Don't you two know the meaning of privacy?" Sasuke asked scathingly, only the slight hitch in his voice betraying that this statement was more from embarrassment rather than anger.

"We do," Nao answered, being surprisingly communicative, "but we wanted to ask where the guest bedroom was."

"And also to tell you there are possessed fangirls outside your door, trying to break in." Sora added.

"What, really?" Sasuke asked, a trace of astonishment coloring his voice.

"Yeah. I guess Naruto-kun's yell woke them up. And you two didn't hear the doorbell? They were ringing it like crazy."

"Err… no, we didn't." Naruto answered truthfully.

"Ok. We're glad you two were enjoying yourselves that thoroughly." Sora smirked as thecouple in front of him blushed and he smothered their protests with,"Anyways, we broke the doorbell for you. We didn't think you would appreciate hearing that nasty sound all night."He finishedmatter of factly.

"Um, thanks." Were they supposed to be grateful? Naruto wondered. Tsunade-sama, the hag that she was, might flip out even over something as small as a broken doorbell. But they'd worry about that later. Right now, not being able to hear the crazy fangirls ringing the doorbell was a very nice blessing.

"No problem. So, where's the guest bedroom?" Nao asked, stifling a yawn. They were all tired, Naruto realized, and it was time to go to sleep.

"Down the hallway, 2nd door to the left. It's already made up, but there's only one bed. Do you two mind?"

"Not at all."

Yep, even without Tsunade-sama's note, now Sasuke and Naruto knew for sure that Sora and Sunao were a couple.

Then Naruto all of a sudden remembered the note, and called out a short, "Wai-" which was rapidly cut off by Sasuke with,

"Sora-san? Nao-san? We have something to talk about, but we'll leave it till morning. Ok?" He asked all three of the boys.

"Yep."

"Ok."

"Goodnight Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun." Sora said with Nao echoing after him.

"Goodnight Sora-kun, Nao-kun."

And when the other two boys had gone, a soft, "Thanks." came from Naruto.

"No problem, dobe. I know what Tsunade-sama said in that note was important but now is not the time to discuss it. Come on, let's get to bed."

Sasuke flicked off the bathroom light, and after a few blinks in which the darkness of the room lightened, led the blonde back to their king-sized bed. They laid down close to each other, Sasuke's arm thrown over Naruto's waist and Naruto's head nuzzling into Sasuke's neck. Their legs twined around each other, and overall they were very close and very comfortable.

They closed their eyes, but then Sasuke remembered what he had promised earlier that night with his eyes. With Naruto's soft blonde hair tickling his chin, he whispered, "Naruto?"

"Hmm?" The answer came sleepily and slowly.

"You look very molestable."

He groaned. "Sasuke, not now. I need my sleep, even if you don't."

"Are you sure about that?" Sasuke asked silkily, while starting to rain down butterfly kisses on Naruto's neck.

"Sa-Sasuke!" Naruto called out, the pause being cause by a sharp intake of breath when Sasuke had bitten him softly, "Not now, please! I promise to make it up to you, ok? I- I don't want to disappoint you, and I think I would in this condition…"

"But you're being such a turn on right now." Naruto blushed, and it was visible even in the dark. "Still, I suppose I'll take pity on you. But tomorrow's another story…"

"Thanks…" Within a few seconds Naruto was asleep. Sasuke admired his innocent features for a while, his smooth unblemished skin, his long golden eyelashes, and his tender and decidedly sensitive lips, but then acknowledged that it indeed late, and closed his eyes.

-----------------

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS. T.T You can't believe how happy they made me. And shocked. Very shocked. But mostly happy.

So, thanks to: **ixheartxyaoi**, **Lunamaru**, **XxXinukaiXxX**, **flame gazer**,** Phantomsnow**, **Hakudoushi kawaii ne**, **Sasuke2006**, **acegirl195**, and **berta-chan**. You all made my day! Thanks and thanks again.

Oh, and send me your ideas for what other couples I should use, from whatever mangas/animes you want. I have a few more couples lined up, but I will need ideas. And I will most likely use your ideas, so it's to your advantage to send them. -smiles widely- (since anysmilie keyboard faces I know are destroyed by ff.n...)


	3. The Cat and the Rat

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own Naruto, Sukisyo or Fruits Basket, so don't bother trying to sue. I don't have anything you'd want anyways.

**A/N: **The disclaimer just gives away a lot of the chapter, doesn't it? Because now you know which manga/anime the new characters are coming from… that's just sad for me. Ok, AU, lots of OOC, and yeah... on we go!

-Chapter 3, The Cat and the Rat-

The next morning was very hectic for all inhabitants of the beach house. For one, Sasuke and Naruto had been woken up when Sora and Nao, blushing and apologizing profusely, had snuck into their room to scavenge for clothes other than just boxers. And Sora and Nao had been woken up by rabid fangirls pounding on their window, trying to shatter the glass and get in. They had evidently bought a ladder somewhere.

In the master bedroom (and bathroom), the day before, Sasuke had installed steel bars over the numerous windows and the skylight. (He had known something like this would happen sooner or later.) And in addition to that, there had been heavy velvet curtains covering the windows, which Naruto had thought unusual when he first had seen them but now were very thankful for. So, all in all, the master bedroom and bathroom were a lot better equipped for privacy than the guest bedroom.

Of course, Sasuke didn't care about that, and when he heard about the breach in privacy, he stormed into the guest bedroom and glared at the girls for all he was worth. It had the desired effect. Sort of.

The girl on top who could see him in only his boxers was so ecstatic that she swooned, unbalancing the ladder and so taking the whole thing down in the process. She wasn't fazed by his glare at all. Still, the ladder disappeared from the window for about ten minutes, and when they had climbed back up (with lots of cameras), Naruto had gotten Sasuke into some decent clothing, and so the fangirls were extremely disappointed. But still very very happy to see their idol.

Sasuke stormed out of the room in a rage, (the only thing that could really set him off at a moment's notice (besides Naruto) was fangirls) and started cursing very… descriptively, swearing along the lines that he was going to make this beach house into an indestructible fortress and that he would incapacitate anyone who tried to storm it. Along with many other colorful words that I won't mention.

Meanwhile, Naruto, Sora and Nao, still standing inside the room, tried to think up a plausible plan that would drive the fangirls out. Even though Sora and Nao had only known Sasuke for less than a day, they knew that when someone was that mad it couldn't mean anything good.

…

They couldn't think of anything. Really, nothing came to mind. Short of murdering all of the girls. Which they couldn't do. So… nothing. And Sasuke wasn't really helping. He was still cursing fluidly and loudly while making their breakfast, and Naruto had flown down the stairs after him, trying to get him in a better mood. But even that didn't work. And Sora and Nao were worried about how their breakfasts were going to taste with all that cursing coming from the cook.

And yes, Sasuke was cooking. Naruto didn't know how to cook anything but ramen, which they had an abundant supply of, and Sasuke didn't want to eat nothing but ramen for six weeks, so he had been planning on cooking anyways. The only difference was that now he was cooking for three when he had been cooking for one. And Sasuke was actually a great cook, but nobody knows where he learned, or maybe his talent in the kitchen had been passed down in his blood. –imagines Itachi in an apron- Ok, maybe not…

Sasuke slammed open the refrigerator and cabinet doors in the kitchen, and to his surprise actually found food. Yesterday they didn't get to go anywhere but the beach, and certainly not grocery shopping, and so there really shouldn't have been food… but Sasuke wasn't complaining. Tsunade-sama was very thorough after all.Still, they still would need to go shopping sooner or later. This food was going to run out in 2 weeks or less. But they would have figured out something by then, wouldn't they? Of course. And now, what to make for breakfast?

… Muffins.

Sasuke took several deep breaths as he preheated the oven and got the ingredients and measuring cups and bowls and whisks and all that out onto the kitchen counter. Cooking in general usually calmed him. Today was no exception. Thankfully.

Naruto watched as his Sasuke measured, mixed, and poured the batter into lots and lots of muffin tray thingies before setting them in the oven. Who knew he was so talented? And now he seemed calmer, more serene and unruffled. Like usual. Naruto watched the whole process, except for the five minutes when he went upstairs and got dressed and brushed his teeth and messed with his hair before giving up and coming back down. When he was back in the kitchen, he found that the muffins were in the oven, and that Sasuke had a bowl of instant ramen ready for consumption on the counter, waiting for him. The blonde smiled at him in gratitude and watched him smile gingerly back before dragging a chair over, sitting down, and starting to devour the tasty delicious miso ramen.

After a few minutes, Sora and Nao came down, hair dripping with water for the both of them. They had both been taking a shower (probably together) upstairs; Naruto had heard the water from the other bathroom. Sora was wearing one of Sasuke's shirts with a pair of black shorts, and Nao was wearing a gray t-shirt with Naruto's favorite pair of jeans. They both sniffed appreciatively at the smell of the baking muffins.

Everybody all lounged around the kitchen for a few seconds, until Sora broke the silence with, "What did you two want to talk to us about?"

Oh yes, about Tsunade-sama's letter.

"We know how to send you back." Naruto replied when it was clear Sasuke wasn't about to speak. He was the Sasuke in public again, silent, emotionless, seemingly bored by whatever was going on at the moment. Naruto reached out a hand to touch him, to make sure that still face was still alive, and not made of porcelain, but dropped it after a moment's consideration. He went on. "It seems that the people who show up here, yourselves included, are couples who are 'in a rut of their relationship'. And all we need to do is to solve your problem, and I guess voila, you're back to your own world. So, I have to ask, what love problems do you two have at the present moment?"

They seemed blank. "Err… love problems?" Sora asked.

"We don't have any…" Nao added. "Do we?" He looked to Sora for confirmation.

"No, not that I can think of…"

Naruto sweatdropped. He knew what was happening now. Tsunade-sama had set this all up! All this just to ruin his well-earned vacation! That –censored-, -censored-, -censored- old hag!

"That wouldn't explain how Sora-kun and Nao-kun appeared, Naruto." Sasuke's voice broke into his thoughts. "Tsunade-sama wouldn't set this all up for us. She's too busy with other things."

Oh, right. The voice of reason got through to Naruto's brain and he sighed. All his big ideas ended like this, squashed and stepped on. And Sasuke was the one who mostly did all the squashing… and how could the Uchiha read his mind like that? Geez.

"Erm, you know, Nao and I might not have a problem, but Yoru and Ran might…" Sora mused quietly, as if speaking his thoughts out loud.

It was Naruto's and Sasuke's turns to be blank. "Yoru? Ran?"

They looked uncomfortable.

"We, err, have alter egos, or split personalities, or something like that." (What _do_ you call it? I couldn't think of the word... and now back to the story.)

"There's a difference?"

"Well, I don't think so, but onto the main point. The other soul inside of me is named Yoru, and the one inside of Nao is named Ran. They, like us, have a relationship together. And… maybe they're the ones with the problem."

"Yeah. They haven't been coming out a lot these past few weeks."

"Umm, you know when they come out?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Not exactly…" Sora trailed off.

"Yes? What?"

"Err, back when Sora and I wasn't in a relationship, when Yoru and Ran got disrupted, which they do when anything in their world moves, we would come back to ourselves and be in… uncomfortable positions."

-pause to let Naruto's and Sasuke's minds wander. Which they do. Considerably.-

"So we would both scream in terror and disgust and all that. Of course, now that we have gotten more intimate, we'd usually continue what they were doing, but that really hasn't happened often."

"That's a bit more information than we need to know, but ok. So, is there any way you can force out Yoru and Ran?"

"No." It was a definite.

"But then how are we going to solve this? We actually need to communicate with them to help."

Nao shrugged. "I don't know how. But Yoru and Ran don't come out unless they want to or when the other person is threatened. But that was back when they supposedly didn't have any problems with their relationship. So that might not work now…"

Naruto was very determined. "Well, if they don't come out in a few days, I'm going to start placing you two in near death situations. Is that ok with you two? Sora-kun? Nao-kun?"

They blanched. "Um…"

Unbeknownst to the blonde, Sasuke, still behind him was making a slashing motion across his neck with his hand, communicating to Sora and Nao that this was **not** a good idea.

"Well, Naruto-kun, we really appreciate how you're so into this, but putting us into near-death situations might not work. We really should just wait for Yoru and Ran to come out…"

And then Nao got the idea that reasoning with Naruto wasn't going to work, that he was fiercely determined and that wasn't going to change, and the pink-haired teenager started fumbling for words. But he was saved. By two things actually. One: the oven timer ringing, signaling the muffins were done. And two: (A bit more attention getting) A white light blinding everyone in the room and two more naked guys showing up.

Ok, now for reactions!

Nao: shocked and a bit disturbed, and running to Sora for comfort.

Sora: Comforting Nao, but just as shocked and disturbed. (Who wouldn't be?) Blushing heavily, but trying to avert his eyes. Of course, the two naked guys are totally hot and even he, with Nao in his arms, hesitates just for a millisecond. (Don't blame him, it's natural...)

Naruto: -blink- -blush- -blink- -slaps head- "Great, MORE people. My time on vacation's getting to be morenerve-racking than when I'm _not _on vacation…"

Sasuke: -back to the cold, public Sasuke everybody knows and loves, silent and unaffected- -but cursing eloquently in his mind-

New guy with gray hair and dark purple eyes: -blush- -sighs- -tries to be mature about this, so turns away from the other people and tries to keep what shreds of dignity he has left- "Can I get some clothes?"

Other new guy with orange hair, orange eyes, and actually still wearing a bracelet made of large multicolored beads on one wrist: "WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED? WHY AM I HERE?" –sees other people- "STOP STARING ALREADY, AND GET ME BACK TO WHERE I BELONG BEFORE I GET **REALLY** MAD AND KICK ALL YOUR ASSES! AND WHY DO I HAVE THIS HUGE HEADACHE?"

Naruto sighed painfully, this guy was screaming practically into his ear. And giving _him_ a huge headache. But the gray-haired teenager didn't seem so bad. In fact, he was trying to shut the bright orange-haired guy up. Or at least they were arguing.

"Kyo, you dumb cat, why can't you actually think before you start screaming?"

"Why should I? It isn't MY fault that I'm here in the middle of this kitchen naked and really pissed off with the world. And Yuki, don't you DARE order me around."

"Why not? You seem to enjoy it when we're in bed together, Kyo." He taunted almost viciously.

A vein popped in said Kyo's neck as he surreptitiously glanced around the room. "You dumb rat, you tell **ME **to think before I speak, and yet you just told this whole room about…" He couldn't finish and looked down at the floor.

"What, Kyo, what? Could you possibly be referring to… **US?**" The exaggerated pause before the "us" made it scathingly bitter.

Kyo winced but managed to come back with, "Yes, **US**, Yuki. What else could I be talking about?"

Yuki flung his arms around as he yelled, "I don't KNOW, Kyo, because you never TALK to me anymore! This is the first time we've had a conversation or an argument in a WEEK.You don't NOTICE me ANYMORE, because you're so CAUGHT UP with the rest of your LIFE."

"My LIFE is being CONFUSING and IDIOTIC right now, OK? I CAN'T spend all my time with YOU, Yuki."

"And I'm not ASKING for ALL of your time, you orange haired idiot, but at least SOME. A MINUTE, a SECOND when you're only focused on ME and only ME would be nice."

"What am I doing NOW, you dumb RAT? Aren't I focused on you and only you?"

Yuki seemed defeated by this statement, bowled down by something. When he spoke, his voice was soft and a little hoarse from the screaming. "I know, Kyo, and don't you think that depresses me?"

There emerged a poignant silence before Yuki explained further. "You only acknowledge me when we're arguing, or fighting, or screaming at each other. We're never alone together, and, you know, I can't exactly show my love by punching you and beating you up TIME and TIME again." His voice was once again jarringly loud and pointedly harsh, but now he seemed finished and turned to face the rest of the people in the kitchen. "Where can I get some cl-"

"Yuki, this isn't DONE yet." Kyo cut him off. "I've listened to you, so you now listen to ME. My life is a tangled mess right now, and I'm trying EVERYTHING to sort it out again. Why can't you accept that? I just need time."

"Oh, and my life ISN'T as much of a tangled mess as yours? Think about people other than yourself once in a while, stupid cat."

And with that the exchange was finished. Yuki turned around once again and asked, "Excuse me, but where can I get some clothes and some headache medicine? And those muffins look nice…"

Naruto, Sora, and Nao looked back at Sasuke for the first time since the above screaming match began, and saw that he had indeed taken the muffins out of the oven and onto the counter, where they looked extremely delicious and wafted out a great smell.

"Hmph." Sasuke mumbled, unmoved by the compliment, but he threw Yuki a muffin anyways. "Here, I guess you didn't eat breakfast back in your own world."

Yuki was about to take a bite, but stopped. "My own world? What? Then where is this?"

"A beach house that magically transports other people here into this world."

"Then how do we get back to our own world?"

"We'll tell you later." Naruto answered, getting some insight, (for once) and knowing that Yuki and Kyo probably wouldn't appreciate being told that they would need to work out their love problems in order to go back home. "After you get some clothes and medicine and food."

"Oh, ok."

And then there was a burst of smoke and a bang, and when it cleared Yuki had disappeared. Or so it seemed. Everybody except Kyo peered close at the ground around the muffin that had dropped so suddenly, but all they saw was awhite mouse…

"Oh no." …a gray white that apparently had Yuki's voice. "How does this have to happen now?" The cute little mouse buried his head in his hands while everybody else had question marks floating around their heads. "And how am I going to explain?" The mouse mumbled pitifully.

There was another burst of white smoke and an orange cat wound its way through the people surrounding the mouse. "Yuki, we've been through a lot of stress. It's natural."

Now more floating question marks were appearing. How did these things happen? How did that cat manage to have Kyo's voice? How did Yuki and Kyo turn into a rat and a cat anyways? Confusing…

Of course, the two in question paid no attention to anything except themselves. "Oh, right. But usually it's nii-san who's this sensitive to stress…"

"True, but we just disappeared from our world and appeared in this one. That's a lot of stress that doesn'tappear everyday."

The cat/Kyo had made it to Yuki, and now sat down. "Now climb on my back."

Yuki looked like he'd rather die than do that. "Yuki, I know your rat sense of preservation is telling you to run as fast as you can away from me, but seriously, do you really think I'd eat you or something?"

"Erm… no. But you might try to harm me greatly."

Kyo glowered threateningly. "Just get on already."

The little rat smiled widely. "Can I bring along my muffin?"

"It's bigger than you." The orange cat pointed out.

"Yes, but…"

"Fine. Just don't get too many crumbs in my fur…"

So, Yuki scampered up Kyo's leg and onto his back, and after a moment a considerate Nao hoisted the muffin up and placed it in front of Yuki, getting a thanks in gratitude.

"Hang on tight rat. Or it won't be my fault when you topple off."

"Just go already Kyo."

And the cat bounded away from the kitchen, but stopped in the hallway, obviously puzzled by which way to go.

"To the left and up the stairs, first room on the right!" Naruto called out, and away Kyo went.

After they were gone, Sasuke silently passed out the rest of the muffins to Sora and Nao, and offered one to Naruto which he passed on. He was already full from the ramen. The Uchiha shrugged and then started eating his own breakfast.

After a few moments, Naruto summed up what they all were thinking. "How are we going to survive this?"

-------------------------

Authoress: Ok! Another chapter over and done! Hooray for me! And yes, I know that Sasuke is being very OOC and that in any other world besides my dream world he would never be able to cook. But –sigh-, isn't it a nice dream?

(Sasuke walks up and pushes plate of chocolate chip cookies at authoress)

Sasuke: Here.

Authoress: What, Sasuke-kun? These are for me?

Sasuke: -glares- Since you gave me cooking skills, I thought to put them to good use. Or do you not want them?

Authoress: No, no, Sasuke-kun, thank you very much!

Sasuke: -thinking- _Geez, giving her food poisoning is easier than I thought it would be. How dumb _is _she? _

Authoress: (calls out innocently) Naruto-kun! Come here! Sasuke-kun made me a plate of chocolate chip cookies that I think you'd like!

(Naruto skips over as Sasuke realizes Authoress's evil plan)

Naruto: Ooo, thank you… err, what _should_ I call you?

Authoress: Call me Powerful and Gifted Authoress. Or rabid fan-girl. Your choice. -smiles widely-

Naruto: Ok, thank you Powerful and Gifted Authoress! -picks up cookie while Sasuke panicks-

Dun dun dun…

To be continued.

Ok, I'll try to get Chapter 4 out in a week, but after that I have to go to summer camp and be away from any computer for three weeks. So forgive me if I leave a dreadful cliffhanger at the end of Chap. 4 and make you wait more than 3 weeks for Chapter 5, ok? Not that anything like that will happen, of course…


	4. Yuki's Hope

**Disclaimer:** I do not own either Naruto, Sukisyo, or Fruits Basket. And I don't feel like prolonging this disclaimer any more since I've already written more than 4000 words for this chapter. (I write disclaimers and other stuff last of all) Be happy.

**A/N:** This chapter is slightly/very very angsty. I'm sorry if it isn't very good. It's one of my first tries at angst and I would like feedback on it if I can. 'nother thing- don't bother writing flames about my pairings. If you don't like yaoi, don't read this in the first place. That said, this is AU, yaoi, SasuxNaru, SoraxNao, and YukixKyo.

-Chapter 4, Yuki's Hope-

"**OUCH!**" Kyo screamed on his way down the upstairs hallway. And you asked why he screamed? Well, simply because Yuki had transformed back from the rat. And he was still sitting on top of Kyo. And he was _heavy_ in the cat's point of view. "YUKI, get OFF of ME, NOW!"

Yuki pondered for a moment, then playfully said, "No. I like it up here."

The orange cat's fur was bristling in anger. "YUKI, I'm warning you…"

"What, Kyo-kun? What can you do to faze me?" The still playful tone just made Kyo madder and he just struggled more. When that didn't work, he yowled loudly into the air, proclaiming without words the unfairness of this situation.

"Ok, ok, Kyo. Here." Yuki got up, but before Kyo could escape he scooped up the orange furball in his hands and held on in spite of the scratching and biting.

"LEMME GO!"

"No. You're mildly warm and fuzzy in this form, and actually likable. So I'm not letting go."

Yuki did as he promised, hanging on to the thrashing Kyo in one hand while popping the rest of his muffin into his mouth with his other. Once he finished swallowing, he walked into the master bedroom and opened a suitcase that he found in the walk-in closet, where he found clothes. Of course, Kyo was still trying to get out of his hold, so with a sigh he abandoned the clothes for the moment (he really couldn't dress with Kyo struggling that hard anyways) and turned to the issue of the orange cat.

Yuki held Kyo out at arms length, then saw the numerous scratches on his chest from the cat's claws. They really didn't hurt to much, but still…

He abruptly dropped Kyo, and unlike what everybody says, this cat did not land on his feet. More like his tail…

-another loud yowl-

"What did ya do THAT for?" Kyo screamed as he rolled over onto his feet.

"You wanted me to let you go, didn't you?"

The cat sputtered incoherently. "NOT LIKE THAT!"

"Hmph." Yuki said, doing a very credible impression of Sasuke. "Why did you struggle so much then?"

Yuki then set out looking through the suitcases and ignoring Kyo completely. And Kyo was distracted by the single drop of blood that had dripped onto the floor. He quietly padded over to it, and stared at it for a minute before saying, "I'm sorry for hurting you."

He sat down on the floor, his tail drooping and his head resting on his front paws, and watched as Yuki finished buttoning up his (or really Sasuke's) shirt. It was, of course, a little short for Yuki, and so there was a thin strip of skin visible below where his shirt ended. Kyo raised his head and watched as the muscle beneath the skin flexed whenever Yuki breathed, waiting for him to accept his apology.

Yuki finished dressing, and sat down cross-legged next to Kyo on the floor, looking up at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression. In the dim light that filtered through the closet, Kyo thought that Yuki definitely looked like a prince, and thanked whoever was up there that Yuki was his prince…

And this time when Yuki's hands picked him up and deposited him on his lap, he didn't struggle. He just made himself more comfortable and sat, purring when Yuki stroked his fur.

"It didn't hurt much." Yuki said softly. "Sorry for dropping you."

"Eh, I should have landed on my feet…"

Yuki chuckled. "That you should have. I thought all cats were supposed to be graceful. I see now that I was wrong."

He silenced Kyo's protest even before he opened his mouth with another stroke of his fur, and instead of an angry scream, another loving purr came out from Kyo's throat.

---------

Yuki came down again a few minutes later, and found everybody still in the kitchen, though they had finished eating.

"Where's Kyo-kun?" Naruto asked after a moment.

"Oh, he's still in his cat form, sleeping in one of the bedrooms. He's been through a lot of stuff back in our world, and has had a lot of sleepless nights, so I just left him up there. He'll get up when he's ready. I hope you don't mind, I just picked out a random room."

"Oh, no, we don't mind at all…" In fact, Naruto was very relieved. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to deal with a screaming idiot like that all the time… (Of course, what he doesn't realize is that sometimes he's the screaming idiot himself.)

Yuki caught his eye, and after a brief moment explained, "Kyo isn't like that all the time. He's actually pretty kind and loving in his heart of hearts."

Naruto blanched. "How does everybody know what I'm thinking?" he howled.

"Well, I just guessed on that time. And could you keep it down? Kyo can probably hear you…"

"Oh, right, sorry."

"Yuki-kun," Nao started, "could you now explain to us how you and Kyo-kun are able to transform into animals?"

"Hmm, I really should do that shouldn't I?" He leaned back on a counter and his eyes became glazed, as if he was remembering. "Do you know the 12 animals of the Zodiac?" he asked, looking up to see everybody's heads nodding.

"Kyo and I are part of a family, the Sohmas, who are possessed by the spirits of the animals of the Zodiac. Well, Kyo's the spirit of the cat, who isn't exactly in the Zodiac, but he's still important in the story, because the cat was tricked by the rat, who, of course, is me." He took a breath before moving on, his eyes holding a hidden layer of aching pain.

"We turn into our spirits when we're either hugged by a member of the opposite sex or when our bodies become weak. Kyo and I have lived with this curse, and it indeed is a curse, for more than 15 years. And we've fought all throughout our lives, because the spirits inside of us are natural enemies, and we still fight now, even though we are lovers."

Everybody held their breath, (or breathed really softly) waiting for him to go on. "But, in general, the 13 of us has a special affinity with each of our animals, and as people we have a lot of the traits each of our animals possess. For example, Kagura-chan, who's the boar, is really stubborn and hard-headed. She used to be really attached to Kyo and was convinced that they would marry someday. She held onto that idea for 9 long years, but she finally gave up when she saw that nothing would come out of it."

He shook his head sadly before continuing. "Also, the head of the Sohma house, Akito-san, is God. He controls all of us in the Zodiac. And… we both love him and hate him at the same time. Even now, in a different world, I can feel his pull on me." The atmosphere seemed to grow darker.

"He messes up all of our lives. He seems to enjoy being cruel, to make our lives a waking nightmare. And Akito-san especially hates it when anybody in the Zodiac finds love." Yuki seemed to be just babbling now, his eyes almost wide with terror. "He ripped apart Hatori-san's relationship with Kana-san, Haru's relationship with Rin, and Hiro-kun's relationship with Kisa. He doesn't care who he hurts, because he knows we can't get back at him. We love him too much to hurt him. And we're too afraid. And I don't know what he'd do if he found out about me and… Kyo."

"No…no. He won't. I'll make sure of it. Because I can't be hurt anymore. Because Kyo won't be hurt by him anymore. No, he can't! Because I wouldn't be able to live anymore without him at my side…" Yuki was shaking with terror. Naruto didn't know what Yuki had gone through with this Akito, this God, but it had shot straight to the teen's soul and traumatized it forever.

Nobody in the kitchen moved. They didn't know what to do. This boy from another world had lived a life they would never comprehend, had suffered through things they would never know. And they didn't know how to comfort him.

Thankfully, somebody else did. Several flashes of white scampered across the kitchen floor and up Yuki's legs, either ending up in his lap, on his shoulders, and there was even one nestled in his hair. When Naruto looked closer, he found that those flashes of white had been rats, or mice, and they were now… hugging Yuki (as well as they could) and whispering comforting things to him. And he did seem to be comforted, by their presence as much as their words.

And then he slowly got up, after his little friends had scampered either into his pockets or back onto the ground, and said, "I'm going to go for a walk…"

"Err, I wouldn't advise that, Yuki-kun." Naruto said hurriedly.

"Why not?" he asked, already walking towards the door.

"Because my rabid fangirls are out there and they will rip you to shreds if you take one step outside." Sasuke answered matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Then I suppose I just have to get rid of those girls, won't I?" He thought for a second. "Yeah, I'll do that." He whispered something to his cute rodent friends, and they ran back to their holes again.

In a few seconds, the screaming began. High, shrill, like-they-were-being-killed screaming. From outside.

Naruto, Sora, and Nao rushed to the closest window and brushed back the curtain, very curious to what was happening. Sasuke… walked calmly to the closest window and peered out too. He was just as curious as everybody else, but he had to keep up his image.

And what they saw was a bit… disturbing. The fangirls, large and small, were running away screaming their heads off. Except they seemed to be running away from invisible things… like, really. Nothing was chasing them at all. Well, Nao and Sora and Sasuke figured it out eventually. Those were Yuki's mice and rat friends, and he was getting rid of the fangirls like promised.

Naruto was still confused. But then he came up with a genius idea!

"Oh, they're running away from invisible GHOSTS!"

Sora, Nao, and Sasuke sweatdropped, and Naruto just looked at them, wondering why they were looking at him with that sort of expression on their faces.

"What?"

-thump- "Usuratonkachi."

"Sasuke! Why'd you do that?" Naruto whined, rubbing his head where Sasuke had hit it.

"Hmph."

"Sasuke! Tell me!"

"Hmph."

"SASUKE!"

Meanwhile, Yuki had gone out the door of the beach house and was taking his walk, calming down from his thoughts and taking in the scenery around him.

He was afraid. He knew that. Despite what he said, Akito scared him. Because Akito-san knew about him and Kyo. And he was going to have to face the consequences sooner or later.

_"Yuki, come here…" His soft voice pierced through the darkness and Yuki shivered inside as he obeyed the order. _

_Akito caught his chin with one hand, looking into his eyes. "Are you enjoying yourself?" It was the day of the traditional New Year's banquet, and everyone in the Zodiac was in the main house._

_"Yes, I am." But he wasn't. He was missing Kyo, thinking about Kyo, wondering how lonely he must've felt and wishing he could be with him. And that messed up the mood he was supposed to be in for New Year's, and Akito knew it. He knew everything. _

_"Liar. You're thinking about someone. Hmmm…" Akito pursed his thin lips. "Is it Haru? You worry too much about him… he's just a big stupid ox." _

_Yuki stared down at the floor, afraid of looking into those cruel eyes. "No, I'm not thinking about anybody except you, Akito-san." _

_He chuckled, a sinister sound. "Don't try to hide anything from me, Yuki. You have no right to. So who is it? Kisa? Hatori? Don't tell me it's Ayame?"_

_Yuki swallowed slowly before giving his answer. He couldn't afford to mess this up. He couldn't afford to lose Kyo. "No, Akito-san, I'm not thinking of anyone else except you." _

_"Ah, I know now…" He did? What? NO. Yuki started to panic. "Hmm, my dear Yuki, you aren't supposed to worry about that cat, that outsider, that **KYO**." _

_Yuki's heart dropped to his stomach. But no, he wouldn't show it, no, he wouldn't place Kyo in the way of Akito's wrath. "Why should I worry about that stupid cat, Akito-san? He's BELOW me. I wouldn't have a care whether he lived or died." _

_"Oh really?" At Akito's tone Yuki's heart began to pound faster from fear. "You wouldn't? Now, what if I locked Kyo up in a tight little cell for the rest of his life? He'd be trapped in the darkness, forever, and you wouldn't be able to see him, little Yuki, no matter what you did, no matter what you said… now, how does that sound?" _

_Yuki couldn't move. He was terrified and the world was spinning out of control around him. This couldn't be happening. Akito couldn't find out. Akito couldn't do that to Kyo! He just couldn't! Kyo would die of despair. That dark vision that Akito had just outlined was Kyo's deepest darkest fear, his waking nightmare. And Yuki would be powerless to stop it, to help him… _

-SLAP-

_"What?" Akito's startled voice was strange to Yuki's ears. _

_"You won't." His own voice came out strangely to him. It was somewhere between a croak of terror and a strict command. _

_"WHAT? I won't WHAT, YUKI?" _

_He flinched in spite of himself but managed to answer, "You won't imprison Kyo." _

_Akito's eyes flashed dangerously and Yuki realized for the first time what he was doing. He was defying Akito! That… that was against the rules, wasn't it? But the voice of his God cut through the cloudiness in his mind. _

_"And WHY WON'T I, YUKI?" _

_"Because he's not yours. You don't own him, he's not in the Zodiac and never was. And… I won't let you. I won't let you hurt him." _

_"YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ME, YUKI?" Akito snarled out, "I CAN and WILL hurt Kyo as much as I want to, UNDERSTOOD? He IS **MINE**, for ever and ever, just like YOU are, Yuki, and don't you forget that." _

_Akito's reprimand hurt him, and Yuki knew it. The half of him that wanted Akito to love him, that wanted God to love him dug into his heart like splinters of sharp sharp glass. Yuki knew that half of his heart belonged to Akito forever and ever, completely and irrevocably. _

_But… the rest of his heart belonged to Kyo, the same way, with the same depth. _

_He was being torn apart. He didn't know what to do. Whom did he love more? He couldn't tell. But whom did he want to protect? That was clear. It was Kyo, that orange-haired, loud-mouthed, every so often idiot. It was that spirit, that hadn't been broken or crippled like his own, that single-tracked mind, that oh so bright soul. It was always Kyo. _

_The tears ran down unchecked now. Yuki's shirt was already beginning to get soaked, and the small stream erupting from his eyes wasn't going to stop anytime soon. He was going to hate committing this betrayal. But it was necessary. His love just wouldn't allow it any other way. _

_He looked up at Akito, and transfixed him with his eyes. _

_"What? Why are you looking at me that way, Yuki? Stop it! Stop that! STOP LOOKING AT ME WITH THAT LOOK IN YOUR EYES, YUKI!" _

_Yuki ignored Akito's protests and demands, bent on completing his purpose. "I'm… sorry Akito. I'm sorry to hurt you like this. But… I need to do this, for myself, for Kyo." _

_He stood up slowly, wondering if Akito was going to try to stop him by force. He didn't. Akito still hadn't recovered from his gaze, it seemed. His demands had died down until silence reigned across the room, and that silence lasted until Yuki had reached the door. Then…_

_"Yuki. Please… don't go. I'm sorry, really, I am, but don't leave. Forgive me. Don't leave me alone. Please, Yuki, please…" _

_Yuki didn't respond for a full 2 minutes, trying to measure what answer would hurt the least for the both of them. _

_"…Goodbye." he said softly, then slid open the door. _

_The storm broke forth after him. Akito cursed, sobbed, raged. Only one sentence lodged in Yuki's mind._

_"I'LL **KILL** YOU, KYO AND THEN YUKI WILL COME **BACK **TO ME AND NEVER TRY TO LEAVE MY SIDE AGAIN!" _

_Yuki's mind by now had half-snapped, and he believed truly that Akito could kill Kyo with only those words of conviction. And he was terrified beyond belief. Without hearing anybody's protests, he sprinted out of the Sohma estate, and into the streets, running towards Shigure's house, running towards Kyo, running towards love… _

_He didn't slow down as ran past a blur of houses, in fact, he was speeding up. What ifs were spinning around his mind as he mindlessly tore through the half familiar streets, what ifs that made him choke on his tears in pain. _

_When he got to Shigure's house, he almost ran through the paper screened door in haste, but got it open at the last second. He pounded up the stairs and down the hallway into Kyo's room, where he found… no one. There was no one there. Kyo's bed had been slept in, Yuki saw, but he wasn't there now… _

_Where was HE? _

_Yuki slumped down to the floor, curling up and sobbing almost pitifully. Kyo wasn't here after all. Akito had gotten to him… what could he do now? _

_He definitely could not stay here. This place almost reeked of Kyo through and through, and he couldn't take the painful memories. No, he'd go to his own room, sleep, and do something in the morning. He'd think clearer in the morning… _

_He stumbled out of the room and down the hallway again, stopping at his own door. The night was catching up to him. He really shouldn't extend himself to that limit too much in the future… but he managed to push the door open. _

_His eyes lit up once more at what he saw. Kyo was sleeping on his bed! So Akito hadn't gotten to him after all. And so… it was all worth it. Defying Akito, sprinting all the way home and pushing his body to the limit, and probably being thrown out of the Zodiac in the future if such a thing was possible. It was all worth it, because Kyo was still safe. _

_Yuki made it to his bed, but then staggered just a little bit and fell to his knees on the hard wooden floor. There would be bruises there in the morning. _

_As Yuki watched, Kyo stirred a bit and opened his eyes, turning towards him. He mumbled incoherently for a few seconds, still not close to being awake. Then, "Who's there?" He was really tired, wasn't he? Usually he would spring awake and attack, but now…_

_His eyes blinked a little more before seemingly distinguishing Yuki. "Yuki? What're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be," A huge yawn, "at the main house?" _

_"Yes, I am supposed to be, aren't I?" Yuki whispered. "But I'm not." _

_Kyo came to his senses right about then, and knew something wasn't right. "Yuki? What happened?" _

_Yuki disregarded the question. "You're safe Kyo, and that's all that matters to me…" His hands cupped Kyo's smooth cheeks and ran through his bright colored hair. "You're all that matters to me, you know that?" He kissed Kyo's forehead softly. Gentle tears ran down Yuki's face, sparkling with emotion. _

_"Yuki." Kyo's voice was urgent, harsh, and out of place in the atmosphere. "Yuki." He turned Yuki's head to face him, so he could stare into those soft amethyst orbs that were his eyes. "When have you become this weak? When have I made you like this?" _

_"Kyo?" Yuki's voice was so fragile it almost broke Kyo's resolve. And the sneeze that came after it did break his resolve. He couldn't break Yuki's heart while he was like this. Even if Akito _was_ right… Yuki was sick and needed to be taken care of. _

_Yuki felt Kyo brush his hand across his forehead, and he said quietly, "You have a fever." _

_Yuki sneezed again. "I do?" _

_"Yeah, Yuki, you do… and your clothes are all wet. Don't tell me you ran all the way here from the main house with only this on in the pouring rain?" It **was** pouring outside, but Yuki only realized it that second as he looked out the window. _

_"What?" he mouthed breathlessly. He hadn't noticed it at all on the way here._

_"You DID? Oh, Yuki, I've ruined you…" Kyo's voice was desperate, and Yuki wondered just what was wrong. _

_"No you haven't-" But Yuki stopped talking as he felt himself transform. His wet clothes fell to the floor and he was left standing on top of the rumpled heap. He was shivering and shaking all over from cold. "Kyo…" he whimpered almost silently, but Kyo heard it. _

_He carefully picked up Yuki from his wet clothes as Yuki closed his eyes, and cradled him in his hands before setting him down on his pillow. As Kyo started to lift his hands away, Yuki stretched out his little hands and opened his eyelids just a little, crying out, "Don't go!" _

_Kyo set his hand down again, stroking Yuki's fur, not pure white anymore, instead a pale gray from the wet. He felt the tiny heartbeat inside of the mouse, and marveled at the fact that if he wanted to, he could stop that heartbeat in a minute. Or in the past he could. Now, there was no way that he could have harmed Yuki in any way, at least not while he was this weak and fragile. Instead he felt that he would do anything at all to protect the little bundle of fur, and the urge to look after Yuki was so strong that he felt it was almost maternal. _

_Kyo had thought Yuki had already fallen asleep, but was proven wrong when he suddenly croaked out, "Kyo?" _

_"Yes?"_

_"Why were you sleeping in my room?" _

_Kyo smiled timidly. "I missed you too much while you were gone, and I thought if I surrounded myself with all of your belongings, I could imagine you were here beside me again." _

_"Oh." After a few deep breaths, Yuki summoned the last of his energy and asked, "Don't leave me, ok?" _

_Kyo whispering, "I won't," was the last thing Yuki heard before falling into the deep realm of sleep. _

_When Yuki woke up the next morning, he was back in human form, and better than that, Kyo was still sleeping next to him. _

_As he lay beside his orange haired lover and looked on as the sunlight moved down his cheekbones, over his lips and covered his hair, Yuki discovered a conviction within himself. Akito couldn't take this away. He couldn't take Kyo, and he couldn't take away this feeling. And… as long as Kyo loved him back, he could take anything and everything that came their way. _

That conviction didn't really help though, Yuki thought sullenly, because he found out the other side of it when Kyo started to ignore him, to stop acknowledging his presence and affection. He found out also that, if Kyo didn't love him back, he would throw everything to despair and tear out his soul in order not to feel the pain. And he had been almost over that edge when he had been magically transported to this beach house and to this new world.

How would he get back? He didn't know. But… he really didn't want to go back quite yet. Or ever, really. Because even though there was still that slight pull, here there was no Akito. Here there was no one to maliciously twist their lives apart, to manipulate and hurt them. Here was the best chance he would ever get to pull things together with Kyo, or at least to find out if what little of their relationship was left was worth saving at all.

In this world, he and Kyo would face a turning point of their lives. And even through all that they had been through, Yuki had hope. He had hope that he and his love would somehow get the happy ending they wanted so much…

----------

Authoress: I almost cried while writing this… (cheers up suddenly) And now where were we? Oh yes, with Naru-chan about to eat one of those cookies… (watches smugly)

Sasuke: NOOOOOO! (Slow-mo dives and snatches cookie out of Naruto's hands)

Naruto: SASUKE! What did you do _that _for? –pouts prettily-

Sasuke: (losing his cool really fast) Err, umm… you see… I, uh, wanted to buy you ramen for lunch! Yeah! And I don't want you to lose your appetite over these cookies… yeah…

Naruto: (not suspecting a thing) Ok, Sasuke! Let's go!

(They walk off, and Authoress sits back in her chair, content with the world)

Naruto: Where's Sasuke?

(Authoress falls out of chair in surprise)

Authoress: Wh-what? Weren't you- aren't you with him right now?

Naruto: No, I just got out of the janitor's closet over there. (Points back to huge hole in wall)

Authoress: And what were you doing inside of the janitor's closet?

Naruto: Baka-Authoress! Ino stuffed me in there!

Authoress: (realizes Ino's plan) OH NO…

Do I seem callous for ending such a sadpart like this with humor? Hmm...


	5. War and Peace

**Disclaimer:** No, don't own Naruto, Sukisyo or Fruits Basket. Now let me live and die in peace.

**A/N**: Slight lime in this one. SasuNaru, SoraxNao, YukixKyo. AU. And of course it's yaoi, silly rabbit!

-Chapter 5, War and Peace-

At about the time for lunch, Sora went off to find Yuki while Naruto ventured cautiously up to Yuki's and Kyo's bedroom. He opened the door slowly and peeked in. He could not believe what he saw.

Kyo was back in human form, and sleeping silently under the covers of the bed, but what was shocking was the twenty or so cats around him, mostly on the bed, a few on the floor. About half of them were sleeping, and the other half were awake and peacefully lounging around.

Naruto's eyes by now were the size of saucers.

There were cats of every color and a lot of breeds, from a spoiled and pure white house cat, who probably had been fed from a silver platter all his life, to a scraggy and thin street cat, full of fight and proud of her independence. But they mixed together quite well, or at least it seemed so from their almost nonstop purring. A few of them had snuggled up to Kyo's body, and were keeping him warm with their body heat where the bedcovers had slipped off him. To Naruto, they looked like multicolored fluffy pom-poms with tails.

He tiptoed closer, reminding himself that he had to wake Kyo up for lunch. Of course, he stopped when the nearest cats started hissing at him, soft enough not to wake the orange-haired teen up, but loud enough to make their point. Naruto did _not_ look forward to wading through a sea of precocious and hostile cats just to make sure Kyo got his lunch. He could eat later, couldn't he? And cat scratches and bites HURT. Even with the Kyuubi healing all of his wounds. So, Naruto backed away slowly out into the hallway, before tearing back down the stairs.

"What's the matter, Naruto-kun?" Nao asked him kindly when he saw his terrified expression. Of course, then he himself was terrified when Naruto suddenly latched onto him and didn't let go.

"He has cats, Nao-kun, cats!"

Question marks were bouncing along around Nao's head. "Um, cats? Naruto-kun, there isn't a single cat in this whole house. We would have seen it by now."

"There isn't only one cat! There's at least 20!"

Nao's eyes bugged out. "You're serious?"

"YES! And they're all around Kyo and won't let me through and I can't wake him up without drawing their wrath! And I don't want to draw their wrath! Because they're scary! And they hiss! And scratch, and bite, and all that!"

"Um, Naruto-kun?"

"Yes, Nao-kun?"

"Could you please let go of my waist? I think you've shrunk my waistline and I thank you for that, but it's very uncomfortable."

"Oh, ok Nao-kun." Naruto let go and turned around, to find Sasuke looking at him with one eyebrow twitching. "Sasuke?" He asked worriedly. "Is something wrong?"

Sasuke forced his features back into his mask of indifference and replied with a voice only slightly higher and strained than usual, "No, nothing Naruto." _Except that I just caught you hugging another guy and for some reason (even though I know you meant nothing by it) I'm jealous. And possessive. Very possessive. _"Your lunch is ready. I'll bring it out in a second."

"Yosh! Thanks Sasuke!" Sasuke's attitude toward the blonde softened at that. Even though Naruto was an idiot most of the time, he was a happy idiot, and him being happy made Sasuke feel… good. Not exactly happy himself, but he liked that he could make Naruto happy.

He went back into the kitchen and came out with Naruto's ramen, which the said blonde consumed with relish. Once he was done, he set the styrofoam cup down and grinned, rubbing his stomach happily, thinking about all the joys of life.

The front door opened quietly during this, and Yuki and Sora came in. "Hi guys. Save any lunch for us?" Sora asked.

"We haven't even started yet, except for Naruto-kun, who already finished his ramen…" Nao answered.

"Great."

"Hey, is Kyo still not up yet?" Yuki asked. Sasuke and Nao turned towards Naruto.

"No, he isn't… and I was supposed to wake him up except…" Naruto shivered before continuing, "There are cats that sleep around him and hiss when I get close."

"Hmm. I suppose we shouldn't wake him up, then. I'm glad you had the good sense not to get hurt, Naruto-kun." Naruto, who had been expecting a reprimand, smiled shyly at the compliment from the older boy. "But I shouldn't let him skip lunch either… I'll bring something up when we're all done with lunch. Is that ok?"

"Of course." Sasuke said. "Now let's eat."

----------

After the very nice lunch consisting of onigiri and a soup with tomatoes and chicken and leeks, Yuki made up a tray that had a bowl of soup and the leftover onigiri, and started walking up the stairs. After a few moments, Naruto whispered, "Do you think we should go up after him? Those cats can be vicious, and I don't want Yuki-kun to get hurt…"

"I guess…"

"Probably."

And Sasuke was already moving. Sora, Nao, and Naruto followed. They tiptoed up the stairs, (well, Sora, Nao and Naruto did, Sasuke had no need to tiptoe to be completely and totally silent) and down the hallway to the room. They inched the doorway open, and peeked inside with their eyes. What they saw astounded them.

Throughout the medium-sized bedroom perched cats, on everything, the bed, the floor, the dresser, the mirror, absolutely everything except Kyo himself, who was still sleeping quietly. Yuki was standing just to the side of the door, holding the tray and seemingly waiting for something. Nao found out when that something was when he heard squeaks beneath him, and looked down to see mice and rats filing through the open door and spreading out around Yuki. Their little eyes seemed to glow with purpose, and their tiny whiskers seemed to tense as they saw the multitude of cats protecting Kyo.

Yuki waited until the cascade of rodents died down, and then perhaps someone gave an invisible signal, because all hell broke loose. The four behind the door watched with wide eyes as the cats and the rats charged at each other, the cats hissing and spitting and the rats all squeaking in perfect harmony, creating the semblances of war cries. The rats rushed out through the room, nimble and quick while the cats towered over them and swatted them around like flies. The main line of cats was centered around the bed of course, because their main goal was to protect Kyo from these nasty intruders. And the cats perched above the floor waited until the rats had infiltrated most of the floor before dropping down on them unexpectedly and smacking the poor guys around.

Fur was flying around like mad. The cats' claws were fully unsheathed and inflicted horrible damage upon the army of rats. But the rats recovered and came back every time, wave after wave of them. And after a few minutes, the rats started to get the hang of this full-fledged war. A lot of rats would gang up on one particular cat, and some would climb up onto its back and head and drive it crazy, taking away its advantage of height. This might not have defeated the cats, but it distracted and tired them, and in any case overpowering the cats wasn't the rats' objective, it was to allow Yuki to get through the crazed cats to Kyo.

Sora, as he watched, thought that this war was as organized and yet as chaotic as any war between humans, and he could almost imagine the cats wearing camouflaged military uniforms and the rats driving tiny rodent sized tanks.

And he couldn't _believe_ that Kyo was actually **_sleeping_** through all this. Though maybe this happened all the time in the Sohma house… hopefully not, otherwise the building would have to be repaired all the time.

The cats and the rats were committing spectacular damage to the carpet on the floor, and they were ripping to shreds the curtains on the windows and the sheets dangling off the bed. The wooden dresser and other wooden furniture were covered with scratches and sometimes even teeth marks, and the some of the paint on the walls had been scraped off and now paint flakes were flying around and tangling into the fur of both animal species.

At this point in the 'war', Yuki started making his move. His 'army' had cleared out as best as they could a sort of path to the bed, unobstructed for the most part, and now Yuki was carefully skirting both the cats and the rats as they battled it out. He was walking slowly and carefully, balancing the tray on his hands.

And then came something deadly. -gasp from all four looking in- It was a black cat, fully grown with powerful muscles and fatally sharp claws and teeth, which he was sinking in Yuki's shoulders and back and actually drawing blood. Everything seemed to go silent at that moment.

-squeak- Ok, not totally silent. But Yuki was rooted to the ground, halfway from the door to the bed. Apparently, the black cat had been waiting for Yuki to make his move, and had deliberately jumped on him on that exact moment. Poor Yuki…

And then the rats attacked. Or at least tried to. As a huge surge of rodentdom, they dropped their individual tasks and ran to protect their precious Yuki. But he put up a hand, and all the rats froze. It wasn't as if he was controlling them or anything, but they just wanted to obey his every whimand so they stopped. Yuki's face twitched in pain as the cats claws dug into him, (he wasn't invincible or anything like that) but after a moment and a deep breath he continued walking forward until he reached the bed, and laid the tray down. Not a drop of soup had been spilt. Outside the room, Naruto, Sora and Nao GAPED. That cat _still _had his claws in Yuki, and he wasn't doing anything?

Sasuke pursed his lips in thought. How was Yuki taking this? He could see the blood spreading out on his shirt and leaving a crimson stain on the pale blue shirt.

After laying the tray down, Yuki finally succumbed to the pain and his hands slowly reached for the cat currently holding on stubbornly to his back. The cat refused to let go and just dug more into his skin, causing Yuki to gasp and collapse to his knees. Naruto and everybody else would have rushed in at that point, except for the many pairs of threatening eyes, both cat and rat, that turned in their direction at their movement. A few hisses and a few mouse bites after, they accepted that they couldn't do anything and turned back to watching Yuki.

He had reached out a trembling hand to Kyo, and at a light touch the boy's eyes opened and took in the room, cats, rats, Yuki and all. He raised his head a little more, and saw the tray sitting on the bed. And then, finally, he noticed the black cat lodged in Yuki's back and gasped, astonished. The four outside the room would have watched this scene till the end, but just then the door was pushed closed, probably by a cat standing by the door. And once they were interrupted, they realized that the two needed privacy and reluctantly went away. (Reluctantly because… well, Kyo was still naked.)

Back inside the bedroom, Kyo had quickly moved the tray to the floor and gotten out of bed, kneeling down beside Yuki and examining his wounds. Or as well as he could with the black cat still there…

"Get your claws out of him." Kyo told the cat firmly but he got no reaction from the cat. It wasn't moving at all, and Kyo just got angrier.

But before he could come up with harsher words, Yuki choked out, "Don't be mad at her. She knows if she retracts her claws suddenly it'll just cause more pain for me. She's trying to make you happy, so please don't shout at her…"

Yuki didn't seem to notice Kyo's lack of clothing, or maybe he was just used to it by now, since he didn't have any reaction to Kyo's movements beside him. Instead, he winced as the cat (on his back) squirmed a little bit and moved her claws.

"It's a her?"

"Yeah. She got… jealous of me I think, that was why she was a bit more vicious than the other ones."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, as you may have noticed, your cats are as protective of you as my rats are of me. You should be glad you have such good friends."

"I am. But where are your rats?" Kyo asked while maneuvering Yuki (and the cat) onto the bed, stomach down. It was tricky for both parties involved.

"I'm holding them back."

"Why?"

"I don't want anyone else to get involved. This is between me and you. Well, and this black cat that's stuck on my back, but still…"

"You don't want anyone else to get hurt?" Kyo looked around at the multitudes of felinedom and rodentdom surrounding them. Every cat and rat in a 20 mile radius must be here in the room… "You're always so considerate of everyone else. And I know this hurts; you don't have to hide it."

"Oh, that's good." He said faintly.

"Oy, I said you could show the pain, not pass out on me!"

"Who says I'm passing out?" Yuki asked, while… passing out. Kyo growled in annoyance.

"Well, maybe this'll be easier…"

Of course, then he saw the advancing lines of rats. "Hey, hey! I won't hurt him, ok? Don't gang up on me like that!"

The rats receded to Kyo's relief, and he turned back to detangling Yuki from the cat. He stared at the prone teenager for a minute, then said softly, "I should get some bandages and warm water and a towel before I start… and also some clothes." He seemed to realize his lack of cover at that moment.

He turned around, and his eyes widened. A group of mice were carrying over bandages and a towel, and as he watched a cat ran out into the hall. It was back a few minutes later, carrying a bucket of water (presumably warm) in its teeth. He didn't even _want _to know how it had managed that… And then, as a finale, rats and cats worked together to bring back an entire outfit: boxers, jeans, shirt and all. They had unexpectedly not gotten any teeth marks on them…

"Um, t-this is unexpected," he stuttered out as the animals dropped aforementioned supplies and clothes at his feet. "But, um, thank you very much."

The animals nodded, accepting his thanks, and Kyo wondered if he was still sane. Nothing like this had happened in his world… or at least not to this extent. Well, this was no time to dwell on it.

Kyo put on the clothes quickly, (not bothering with any of the buttons on the shirt) then turned back to Yuki, and leaned in close to where the cat's claws had pierced his back. And they had gone in quite deep. The claws were completely embedded in his…flesh. Kyo didn't like the word flesh. It sounded like he was referring to Yuki as an object and not a person. Which scared him a bit.

Kyo looked to the black cat, who by now was looking sorry and bedraggled and worn out, and said quietly, "I suppose you can pull out your claws now that Yuki's unconscious. He won't feel much hopefully and I won't get angry…"

The poor cat meowed, and in one movement pulled out all of her claws and jumped off Yuki. Kyo watched on as Yuki's eyes opened, as he gave a little scream but then suppressed all other sounds to a whimper and arched his back in pain. He then clenched his fists, and collapsed back onto the bed. Kyo stroked Yuki's hair comfortingly, and leaned in close, darting little kisses here and there.

He waited until Yuki had calmed down before asking softly, "Could you let me take off your shirt? I really need to stop that bleeding…"

Yuki nodded and raised his upper body a little so Kyo could slip off the shirt easier. Kyo quickly unbuttoned the pale blue shirt that was getting soaked with blood, and stripped it off. He took a brief moment to, um, admire, but then turned to the task of cleaning Yuki's wounds. He had Yuki lay down once again on the bed, head on hands, and, after soaking the towel in warm water, dabbed tentatively at the blood. Yuki didn't flinch or show any outward sign of pain, so Kyo went on, a little more confident, pressing a little bit harder.

After only a little while, the towel started getting soaked with blood, and Kyo murmured, only half-serious, "Could I get another bucket? This time of cold water?"

And when he looked to his side, lo and behold, there was the bucket as he had requested. Those rats and cats were amazing…

Kyo washed out the towel, then dipped it in warm water again and resumed cleaning Yuki's back gently. After going through this process once more, he felt it was ok, and asked for a dry towel, which was quickly brought. He wiped away the water, and started to unroll the bandaging. The initial bleeding had stopped already, and he could now see clearly Yuki's torn skin, which he desperately wanted to cover up with the white bandages.

But before putting them on, he asked carefully, "Are you really alright, Yuki?"

"Hmm? Of course I am, dumb cat." Kyo would normally be distracted by the name-calling, but not now. He noticed that Yuki was sweating profusely, clenching his hands, and not looking into Kyo's eyes, which meant that he was almost certainly lying. And he knew the truth after placing a hand on Yuki's arm. The muscles underneath were tensed and trembling just a little bit. -sigh- It was just like Yuki to conceal his pain from anybody and everybody…

"No you aren't, Yuki, but I'll accept your answer for now if it'll make you feel better. Now just bear with me for a little longer while I put on your bandages, and I'd like it if you'd sit up for this."

"Ok, Kyo, whatever you want." Yuki halting pushed himself up into a sitting position, while Kyo stayed kneeling beside the bed like he had been the past half hour or more. He started putting the bandaging on Yuki, his nimble hands drifting everywhere over Yuki's pale skin. He stood up when he was halfway up Yuki's chest, stretching out his sleeping leg muscles. When he was done, he tore off the end, tucked it in, and stood back. It looked ok. Not precise and immaculate like a professional or anything, but pretty neat and very acceptable.

"Hmm. I think that's good…" Kyo turned to where his supplies had been, wanting to clean up, but blinked. The animals had cleaned that up too… wow. And then a group of rats lifted up their paws, silently asking for the unused bandage, and Kyo complied. After watching them scurry off, he slowly rolled his neck in a circle, and also stretched his arms out. When he looked back down again, Yuki was looking at him in his own peculiar way.

"Thanks Kyo." The teen said quietly, blushing a little. Yuki then reached for his pillow and propped it behind him, leaning back slowly and with a small wince that did not escape Kyo's notice. He helped Yuki get more comfortable before saying,

"No problem. But it's me that created the problem in the first place you know…"

"Well, not just you…"

"What do you mean? If you hadn't felt obligated to bring me lunch up here or if I had been awake I could've stopped the epic war that happened in here, and could've stopped you from getting… mauled." And at the mention of Yuki's original purpose, Kyo found the lunch tray again and got up to wash his hands in the bathroom sink.

When he got back, Yuki intoned, "Hmm, that's where you're wrong."

"WHAT?" Kyo almost choked on the onigiri he had taken a bite of. He coughed a bit, and Yuki waited until he had settled down to continue.

"Yeah. You wouldn't have been able to stop it in any case. Rats and cats are supposed to fight, and we can't stop them from their natural instinct."

"But the cats congregated because of me…"

Yuki smiled. "Come, sit on the bed with me and I'll tell you why it's not your fault."

"Ok." Kyo did as he was told, (starting on the soup in the meantime) and Yuki wrapped an arm around his body, leaning his head against Kyo's shoulder. Kyo blushed softly.

"The reason that you're not responsible for this-" Yuki gestured at the (pretty much trashed) room, "or this," he gestured to his back, "is because it takes two to tango. It's my fault that the rats came, after all, and if there hadn't been rats there wouldn't have been a fight. So we'll share the blame, ok?"

Kyo let his head rest upon Yuki's soft hair, and murmured agreement. "Ok."

Then his head registered what his mouth was eating. Leeks… "AHHH!" He spit the leeks back out into the bowl to the amusement of Yuki and his company of rats. "WHO MADE THIS SOUP?"

Yuki raised an eyebrow. "Sasuke-kun did. And it's a great soup."

"IT'S GOT LEEKS IN IT!"

"So?" Yuki was very amused by what that simple word aroused. A vein in Kyo's head started pulsing, and the orange-haired teen started to glare at his soup. Of course, that magnificent angry face was ruined with Kyo's slightly pouting face which looked _extremely_ cute to Yuki.

"I ABHOR LEEKS!"

Yuki snorted. "Yeah, and it's a very unreasonable hatred. Leeks are good for you."

Chibi-Kyo scrunched up his nose and pouted even more, crossing his arms across his chest with finality. "I don't like them."

"Too bad." -Moment where Yuki looms over Kyo with an aura of doooom around him- "YOU WILL EAT THEM!"

-Kyo is unaffected- "Or what?"

Yuki seriously thinks about what the worst possible thing would be, then pronounces one life-shattering sentence. "I won't ever ever let you be on top again."

Kyo blanched. "You wouldn't seriously do something like that!"

"See if I do."

Kyo started stuffing the leeks into his mouth as fast as he could, murmuring in between bites that, "This is blackmail."

Yuki smiled warmly. "Of course it is Kyo. But I'm just looking out for your health…"

That didn't stop the grumbling. But Kyo finished all of his soup, leeks and all, and set both bowl and tray back down on the floor. Some curious rats and cats came closer and nibbled at the remaining onigiri and lapped up the last few drops of soup.

Kyo leaned back against the headboard of the bed, hands behind his head. He was wondering about something… "So, why did you make such a big deal about getting me lunch? It wasn't like I was going to starve or anything, and yet you launched this huge war over it…"

Yuki's arm tightened. "Why not make a big deal? You're important to me. I'm possessive. And it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"How do you know?"

Yuki sighed. "Don't you get it? It's happened before…"

Kyo blinked in surprise. "What, really?"

Yuki eyed him with indulgence. "Yes. But of course, you were always asleep when it happened, so you wouldn't know, would you?"

"Um, no. But then why didn't you just wait until I was awake?"

Yuki paused and looked down before answering this. "Because even though my rats wouldn't have been hurt, I would've had to hurt you. We would have fought on sight, on instinct, like always, and I'm selfish enough to place my feelings over the physical conditions of my rodent friends. Is that so wrong?"

That set up a nice mood, which was of course absolutely killed with the statement, "Of course, it also saved this beach house a lot of wear and tear. I usually throw you through something like a wall or a door before I'm done…"

Kyo glared. "I'm going to disregard that last statement. Now, did anyone on your side get killed?"

"No. Most of them bear scratches, and some broken bones, but no deaths and no critical injuries. My rats are too smart for your cats."

"Hmm, yeah right. They didn't want to hurt your rats either, probably, and pulled most of their attacks. They could've beaten your tiny rodents any day."

"Oh, is that right?"

"Yes. Just like I could overpower you any day I wanted too." This was said confidently on Kyo's part, to Yuki's great amusement.

"Uh huh, riiight. Then why do I beat you up everytime we fight?"

"Err…"

"Why are you the one begging for a fight?"

"Um…"

"And, why am **I** seme?"

"Now that's just not fair! And you can't bring that up in front of-" Kyo looked around, "those adorable baby kittens with the question marks floating around their heads! You're robbing them of their innocence!"

Kyo pointed and Yuki looked at where he was pointing. There was indeed a group of absolutely adorable kittens (along with question marks) playing around on the floor, with several mother cats looking after them. And especially cute (at least to Yuki) was a kitten with fur a bright orange all around his body, who was purring contentedly, basking in the sunlight that came through the ripped curtains. I wonder why he had that preference…

Kyo saw who his attention was focused on, and asked, "Do you want him to come over?"

"Sure. He is certainly _very_ adorable."

Kyo beckoned to said kitten, and he ambled over slowly, jumping onto the bed. Yuki picked him up slowly, wary of his claws, but the kitten didn't try anything and seemed very friendly, so he relaxed. Yuki started to pet him slowly, loving the soft feel of his fur and the low purr that came out of his throat. He started to whisper compliments, and lay kisses on the kitten's nose and between its ears. The reaction was very positive. The kitten jumped onto Yuki's lap, curled up, and went to sleep contentedly. Yuki smiled. Why couldn't Kyo ever be a kitten when he transformed? They were just **SO lovable. **

He was about to mention this to Kyo, when he turned around to see the strangest expression on his face. He was looking out the window, trying to pull off inattention, but his eyes would flick over every few seconds before going back. When he saw Yuki was looking at him, Kyo blushed and looked down, but there was still that… _hurt_ spark in his eye. And those eyes were slightly pulled back into a very slight glare. And he was biting on his bottom lip a little… nervously. What was Kyo thinking?

And then that head snapped up, and that hurt expression turned into an angry one. "I'm going to get you a new shirt." he snapped out briskly before almost jumping out of the bed and running to the door. Kyo slammed the door behind him, leaving a very confused Yuki sitting on the bed.

But… then he got it. Kyo was _jealous_! Which was, to Yuki, farfetched, even though he knew it to be true. Kyo _never_ got jealous. Not ever. Jealousy was always a trait reserved for himself, though Yuki knew it to be unreasonable to get jealous (ever so slightly) just because Kyo had _winked_ at the saleslady when he had been haggling for peaches. Of course, he was appeased when Kyo had offered him the explanation that he had only done that to get the best peaches, which he then presented to Yuki and ate none himself. Yep, that was nice. But back to the main topic of conversation.

Kyo never got jealous. Or at least not of humans. (girls _or _guys) Maybe it was because he was lavishing all his attention on a cat, and a cat that looked remarkably similar (but much more charming) than Kyo. Yeah, that probably was it.

The person prominent in Yuki's thoughts came back in, carrying a shirt and much more subdued. Kyo dropped the shirt on the bedsheets, then sat cross-legged on the floor and let the rest of the cats surround him, petting them absently.

Yuki, at this change from before, asked softly, "Aren't you coming back to bed?"

Kyo didn't look up. "No. You've got a cat in your bed already, haven't you?" There was no reaction from Yuki.

Until… most of the cats scattered, since Yuki suddenly glomping Kyo (after safely placing the kitten on the bed) scared them almost out of their fur. And Kyo was pretty surprised too. He toppled back onto the floor, Yuki on top of him, and stared into the warm dark violet depths of those eyes.

"Kyo, wherever you are, I want to be." Kyo blushed at this blatant declaration of affection, (all without saying the 3 dreaded words: I love you) and blushed even more when he realized the position they were in. And also that Yuki hadn't put on the new shirt…

But his embarrassment didn't stop him from asking hopefully, "Really?"

Yuki chuckled. "Of course you dumb cat." And then in a more serious tone, he said, "I wouldn't be able to survive without you…" His hands cupped Kyo's face, he leaned down, and slowly, gently, they kissed.

Yuki watched with rapt attention as Kyo's eyelids fell ever so quietly over his orange eyes, masking the bright color, and felt his muscles undeniably loosen.

He didn't ask for entrance to Kyo's mouth, (since they both didn't exactly like French kissing and because those feline-like teeth hurt…) but broke the kiss after a minute, moving his lips down onto Kyo's sensitive neck.

While his mouth gave attention to that, his nimble hands ran down to the collar of Kyo's shirt and pulled the shirt apart, (Kyo hadn't bothered with the buttons while putting it on, remember?) letting Kyo's toned chest shine through. Yuki took a moment to admire the blessing named Kyo Sohma he had been given, then went back to caressing that wonderfully tanned, wonderfully smooth skin with his hands and mouth.

He was rewarded with the feeling of Kyo's new erection through the thin layer of cloth that his pants consisted of, and by the low purring that erupted from deep within Kyo's throat.

Kyo's hands interweaved through Yuki's hair, gripping it tightly, but then fluttered down to the other teen's shirt, starting to work on those nasty buttons that were such a nuisance to undo. Death to buttons!

And then the both of them froze when a very unwelcome sound reached their ears. The sound of the door opening… and both of them looked up to see a certain blonde coming through the door, then blushing terribly when he saw what he had just interrupted.

"U-um, the r-rest of us are g-going to the b-beach, so w-we thought you two would l-like to know…" Naruto focused on Yuki's eyes, since Kyo's were shooting out flames of wrath and were saying, very clearly, 'GET OUT. NOW.'

"So, u-um, I'll get out now, and you two can get back to what you were doing." He started backing out, but before he closed the door, he called through, "You two should give more warning! All_ **I**_ heard was purring, ok? It was an innocent mistake!"

And they heard him go off downstairs, shouting on the way, "SASUKE!"

Kyo and Yuki looked at each other. "Do you want to go on?" Yuki asked.

"No. Gah. That baka just killed it…" Kyo glared.

"Um, ok, then let me get up without being strangled with my own shirt." Kyo was still gripping Yuki's collar very tightly.

"Oh, sorry." After a second of untangling from each other, they both sat up beside each other.

"So, do you think he's right?" Kyo asked.

"Who? Naruto? About what?"

"That we should give more warning…"

Yuki plucked at a stray piece of string coming out of his shirt. "I happen to like your purring very much. It's unique to you, and it relaxes me."

"Oh, I'm… glad, I suppose."

"Glad? Just glad?"

"Oh, what do you want me to say? You know I can't express my feelings too well."

"Yep, I know." Yuki smiled. "That's why I'm glad whenever you do let something appear from behind that mask of yours."

"Who says it's a mask?"

"I do, cause I've seen the real you, dummy."

"Oh, yeah…"

Kyo stood up suddenly, starling Yuki. "What…?"

"I want to open the curtains. There's not enough sunlight in here."

"Oh."

Kyo pulled the curtains all the way apart on all of the windows, letting the bright rays of sunlight come in. The room seemed larger now, but now the damage the rats and cats had inflicted was now painfully obvious. Oh well, he'd let the others deal with it…

Kyo sat down again, back to back with Yuki, buttoning up his shirt now that he had time to. The animals of both species crowded around them, even the kitten that Kyo had gotten jealous of (because it was now awake) and Kyo and Yuki proceeded with drowning peacefully in the mass of furry bodies around them. And one of each of their hands (Kyo's right, Yuki's left) found each other, and this moment was completed by their fingers entwining together quietly.

-----------

(Down the path to the beach)

Naruto skipped along Sasuke, who was carrying most of the things they needed for spending the afternoon and early evening on the beach. He had ungrudgingly volunteered to do this, and so was stoically walking forward even under the tremendous load. Sora and Nao were walking in front of him and Naruto.

"Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

"What were Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun doing when you walked in on them? Or are you still not telling me?"

"I'm not."

"Why?" This was primarily what was on Sasuke's mind, because Naruto never held something back from him without good reason.

"Well, I'm respecting their privacy…"

"Really?"

"Yes. There are some things that should be closed off from the world. And also to my eyes, but whatever. Let's just say I wonder if they have alter egos too, because there doesn't seem to be anything wrong in their relationship…"

"Oh." The both of them were silent for a few steps, then Sasuke added, "But we have sex all the time even when we're mad at each other."

"SASUKE!" Naruto hissed. "That's private too!"

"And who's going to hear?" Sasuke did have a point. The two of them had slowed down enough so that they were definitely out of hearing distance of Sora and Nao.

"Still! You shouldn't say something like that out loud! What if Kakashi-sensei suddenly materialized or something?"

"Then I will kill the authoress for the strange turn of coincidence."

(Authoress shudders in terror in background)

"Oh."

"Back to point, a couple can have serious issues in their relationship and yet can put them all aside to be sexually intimate…"

"Oh." Naruto seemed to go all nonexistent-speaking-skills at that. And he stopped skipping. _And_ he tugged a bag away from Sasuke's hands, helping him with the load. WHERE IS NARUTO AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM? But his voice was the same as he said, "You know, Sasuke, sometimes you disturb me very very much."

"What?"

"Yeah…"

"Why are you implying that you don't ever disturb ME? Because you do…a lot."

"Except that normalcy for me _is_ being disturbing, so not being disturbing is out of place. Your normalcy is not being disturbing, so when you are disturbing it stands out even more."

"Uh huh. Whatever. Now let's get to the beach already."

Naruto grinned. "Ok Sasuke."

-----------

Sasuke: (storms up in a fury) YOU SET ME UP!

Authoress: Err, what?

Sasuke: (points to Ino who is clinging to his leg ferociously) HER!

Authoress: I didn't know! Seriously! I thought she was Naruto! (twitches nervously)

Sasuke: (skeptical) Really?

Authoress: Do you really think I have a death wish? Because I don't! I DON'T WANT TO DIE YOUNG! (Gives Sasuke the puppy dog look)

Sasuke: That doesn't work on me.

Authoress: Of course it does! I'm in control and I say it does!

Sasuke: (glares)

Authoress: Oh alright. Just don't kill me and I'll make Ino go poof.

Sasuke: Ok. I promise not to kill you. Now make Ino vanish already.

Authoress: Ok. (Waves hand)

(Ino goes -poof- and Naruto appears in her place)

Authoress: Better?

Sasuke: Yes, much.

(Authoress turns chair, wanting very much to sleep, closes her eyes, and puts in earplugs)

Authoress: (before going to sleep) And of course I don't get a thank you or anything… -sigh-

Thank you to **Kat**, **Sasuke2006**, and **Gold Silk** for reviewing last chapter! (My thank yous will be infrequent and not enough, but they do happen...)

**Gold Silk**: Yep, there'll definitely be more couples. And thank you for reminding me. I need to go watch Gravitation.

**Sasuke2006**: See? I am updating fast! Thanks. And yes, isn't Naruto both embarrassing and amazingly entertaining?

**Kat**: You know everything. I don't need to say anything…


	6. Kyo's Smile

Disclaimer: All I own is this story, meaning, the beach house. Now, if I could only make that house a reality…

A/N: Gomen, gomen, for not updating for almost 2 months. I got separated from the internet for 3 weeks, then I had to finish my summer homework and get ready for school, and today I just finished my fifth day of high school. My high school is huge. It scared me the first day… anyways, I shall try very hard to update regularly now. Feel free to PM me and remind me every week or so.

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-Chapter 6, Kyo's Smile-

When Sasuke arrived at the beach, his expectation was to lie down on a towel on the beach in his swimming trunks and laze all afternoon. (He doesn't get tans, it's like his skin just rejects any other color…)

When Naruto got to the beach, his expectation for Sasuke was for him to actually get in the water and swim. (And also not to get a tan, since he knew how Sasuke's skin rejects color)

Their expectations clashed like this.

"SASUKE!" Naruto yelled from the water.

"What, dobe?" Sasuke yelled back from his laid-back position on the beach.

"Get in! The water's nice!"

Sasuke raised his head. "NO!"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to!"

"Come on! People go to the beach to get wet! So get wet already!"

"No!"

Sasuke looked on in amusement as Naruto stood there, hands on waist, trying to glare. It made a nice picture since even from this far away Sasuke could tell Naruto's eyes matched the color of the sky. And then a huge wave swept over him and Naruto dropped into the water and out of sight. Sasuke blanched, jumped up and ran into the water, to find a spluttering Naruto getting up and spitting out a lot of salt water.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked worriedly, patting Naruto on the back.

Naruto grinned widely. "You're in the water!" he yelled delightedly.

Sasuke sweatdropped. "You just almost drowned and all you care about is that I'm in the water?"

"Yes! Because I DIDN'T drown, and so now I'm excited that I got you into the water! Anyways, isn't this a vacation? We should dwell on the positive things!"

Sasuke sighed. "Ok. But I'm not staying in the water."

The indignant expression on Naruto's face was priceless. "But I did so much to get you in! I'm not letting all my hard work go to waste!"

"You just nearly drowned and I rushed in to see if you were ok…"

"Exactly!"

"Your logic surpasses my grasp…"

"Well, my point is, YOU HAVE TO STAY IN THE WATER!" Sasuke started walking back. "Please? For me?" Sasuke slowed down. "It'll make me very very happy and I promise not to bother you tomorrow!" Sasuke stopped walking.

"I suppose. But you really better not bother me tomorrow!"

Naruto grinned. "Of course I won't Sasuke!" and splashed him.

Meanwhile, Sora and Nao were having their own quiet fun in walking along the beach and collecting shells. Ok, Nao was doing that, and Sora was being nice and keeping him company. He actually thought it was a bit too hot to do anything but stay inside in the cool air-conditioning and relax, but if Nao wanted to go to the beach, he would follow. And albeit it was more from worry that his pink-haired lover would fall into the water and drown than from affection, but it did show how far he would go when it came to aforementioned pink-haired person. Besides, Nao promised to make something for him out of the shells he found.

So, the two of them walked slowly up and down the beach near the waterline, Nao bending down every few seconds whenever he saw anything that caught his interest. Sora just sort of ambled along, thinking about nothing in particular.

He sat down on the sand, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. The sunshine was actually nice, even though the heat was bordering on unbearable. Oh well. He took off his shirt, eyes still closed, and folded it up neatly, placing it on the sand beside him. Ah, that was better.

He relaxed. All was peaceful and tranquil. Well, until Nao's scream reached his ears, and he sprang up in consternation and scanned the surrounding water and sand for the danger. He found it almost instantly. Nao was DROWNING, and Sora, panicked, started sprinting towards the water.

A few moments later, Sora's left eye turned from blue to amber. (Not a whole lot of you will get this if you don't watch/know about Sukisyo.)

----------

The doorbell rang, and Kyo's eye snapped open. "Wasn't that broken?" he asked Yuki softly, turning his head a little to hear the answer.

"I thought so…" There was a small silence, then, "We should go answer it, shouldn't we?"

Kyo turned back to his former position. "Do we have to? It's so comfortable like this."

Yuki answered this by standing up and walking to the bedroom door, while Kyo toppled over since they had been sitting back to back. To retaliate, Kyo just sprawled out on the floor, closed his eyes, looked sexy, and murmured, "You know Yuki, if you come back now, I promise you I can have all my clothes off in 5 seconds."

This was a very effective retaliation. Yuki stopped moving, stared at the motionless Kyo reclining on the carpet, looking very much like the cat he was. But it wasn't effective enough.

"You know you can't tempt me like that Kyo. I'm not as _weak_ as some people I know."

This got no angry reaction, surprising Yuki. Instead, Kyo opened his eyes and smiled for him, a wonderful, heart-warming smile.

"And you'll never be, right Yuki?"

What? What was _with_ that reaction? Yuki felt as if he was missing something, but he forced the confusion out of his voice.

"Of course not Kyo. You'll never live to see the day when I'll be beaten by _you _in anything."

"I'm greatly reassured, to be sure. Geez Yuki, how egoistic _are_ you?" There! There was his old Kyo back, (meaning, sarcastic and, well, Kyo-ish), and Yuki rejoiced inside.

Kyo made to stand up, but Yuki stopped him. "Just sit, I'll get the doorbell."

He then walked out of the bedroom, Kyo's eyes on his back the whole time. After he was gone, Kyo obeyed his orders and indeed sat down. He had been so relieved listening to Yuki's conviction to stay strong, and wondered if Yuki had noticed anything was wrong. Probably, but he was good at hiding it. Like always. Like the Yuki that had Kyo twisted all around his little finger and knew it. Like the Yuki that Kyo loved desperately, always afraid to lose, never really believing in his luck. Because it couldn't last. No, it hadn't lasted at all…

_Kyo paced nervously around the small room, waiting for Akito to let him in. What would he do? What would he say? He was afraid and he knew it. _

_Then, almost silently, the sliding door slid open, and Hatori stepped out, motioning to Kyo to go in. Kyo stepped inside the dark room, hands trembling. Why had Akito called him down here in the first place? He wasn't exactly welcome in the Main House, and today _was_ the day before New Year's after all. He shouldn't be here. And he wouldn't have been, except for Akito's command._

_"Oh. Kyo? You're here? I didn't notice you…" A soft chuckle came from the shadow in the corner, and Kyo gritted his teeth. So Akito was going to play this game again? This game which was supposed to make Kyo feel unwelcome, invisible, worthless? And the worst of it was, he couldn't talk back. _

_"Yes, I'm here, Akito-sama. What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" _

_"Oh, nothing much. You're not worth much of my attention anyways. But… I've noticed something about you, Kyo." _

_"Yes?" _

_"Yes. That submissive mood of yours is just a fake, isn't it? You're out to get me, aren't you?" _

_Was there an answer he could make to this? It wasn't entirely false, so he couldn't deny it without Akito seeing through it, but he couldn't as well agree with it either. Kyo decided the only action he could take would be to remain silent and take this verbal lashing as well as he could. There was an acute silence before Akito went on, more vindictive than before. _

_"You are, I know you are, don't you deny it. I've seen what you've done to Yuki." _

_At the mention of Yuki, Kyo's head snapped up violently, earning a harsh laugh from Akito. "Yes, I know Kyo. You've seduced him, haven't you?" Hardly. Yuki had seduced him was more like it. Akito's eyes, the only part of his face Kyo could discern, narrowed, as if he could see the back talk in Kyo's mind. _

_"You've made him think being with you is better than being with me, his God…" Akito hissed out in disgust. "But it isn't. You're just poisoning his mind, Kyo, you're just making him _weak_, like _you_." _

_Was he? Was he actually doing that? _

_"You're _hurting_ him, Kyo, with your so called love._**I**_ love him. _**I** _make him strong. You? You're bringing Yuki down to your level, that of an outcast, someone who should be hated and imprisoned. He doesn't deserve to be there, do you agree?" _

_Still no answer from Kyo, who was trying to resist the irrefutable logic of Akito's words and failing. But he definitely agreed with Akito's last statement. There was no way Yuki deserved to be hated. Yuki deserved to be loved and idolized. Yuki was a prince and fragile, infinitely fragile, as Kyo knew well. _

_"Hmm? Still no sound from you Kyo? How pitiful. Just how weak _are_ you?" _

_Kyo swallowed, trying to moisten his dry mouth, trying to think of a reply. _

_"Akito-sama…I have no idea what you're talking about." Yes, this might work. Just deny everything. Every single thing Akito-sama had blamed him with, and hope for the best. "I have no idea how I could affect Yuki as much as you have suggested. You have told me I was weak. That is…" He took a shuddery breath, hating himself for what he was going to say. "That is true. I am so weak that Yuki does not notice me at all, nor does he care for me in any way. I feel the same way towards him. Please, Akito-sama, show me in what way I am making Yuki weaker, and I will remedy it." _

_That instant, although Kyo could not see it, a cruel smile bloomed on Akito Sohma's face. _

_"You believe you are not affecting Yuki in any way? You believe you are not making him weaker? You believe he does not care for you? Why are you lying to me, Kyo? You know I see through it easily. Do you also know, Kyo, that I see the way Yuki looks when he's daydreaming? Thinking about you when he should be paying attention to me? Because I do, Kyo, and I don't like it. You want me to show you? Then show you I will. I'll send Yuki back to you trembling and broken, Kyo-kun, and you'll know inside that he'll be hurt because of you. And then what will you do? I wonder…" _

_Kyo's eyes were wide with terror, a detail Akito noticed with sadistic happiness when he dismissed him from his sight. Kyo went, slowly, woodenly, not believing what he had just heard, refusing to believe it, and yet it got to him. _

_He promised himself this. If Akito came through with his promise, if Kyo actually did hurt Yuki with his love, then he would stop. He would stop his love. He would stop seeing Yuki, talking to Yuki, wanting Yuki, holding Yuki. It would hurt him, he knew that for certain. But it was all right. If Yuki wouldn't be hurt, wouldn't be hated or estranged because of him, it was worth it. _

_The next night, when Yuki had come to him in desperation and terror, he knew. He knew Akito was right. He knew he was poisoning Yuki by being near him, by making him care. But he put it off. How could he break his lover's heart at a time like this? When he seemed that… that _breakable_, Kyo's first instinct was to comfort and protect. He would put it off. He would wait until the morning, the next day. And he would say goodbye to his heart tonight, before he crushed it for ever. _

_After that warm night spent together, Kyo blocked Yuki from his life, and tried to ignore the hurt in his love's eyes. He stopped smiling. _

Until… until he had come here. Until Akito had been put behind them, not forgotten, but only remembered as a distant nightmare of the past. Then Kyo had smiled again for Yuki. Because his happiness was back again, if only a little.

And perhaps… he would find a way to preserve that happiness together, with Yuki, in this world where no one was set against them.

Just then, there was a girlish scream from the floor below, and, within a few seconds, a blonde girl had opened the bedroom door forcefully and had thrown herself at one of the cats. In fact, it was the black cat that had dug her claws so deeply into Yuki's back a few hours ago. Said cat threw herself out of harm's way, (the girl's mad throw), and into safety (Kyo's lap).

"KAT!" The blonde girl, looking about 9 years old, pouted as she screamed the name into the sky, frightening all the occupants of the room, especially the cat whom the name probably belonged to. Kat snuggled more into Kyo's lap.

"Mister, you're holding my Kat and I'd like her back." The girl told Kyo solemnly, her hyper mood the second before disappearing completely.

"Eh?" Kyo's mind hadn't quite caught up just yet, and the girl repeated her request with a sigh.

"Mister, you're holding my Kat. Will you hand her over?"

Kyo looked down at the black cat on his lap, who was trembling with fear. "Her? But she doesn't seem to want to go with you… are you sure you've got the right cat?"

"Positive. And I don't know why she's so hesitant, she usually throws herself at me in love."

Kyo blinked once, twice, three times. "Are you sure she does it out of love?"

"Yes! Look at this!" She pointed to a scar on her arm, which was bright red and pretty fresh. "She gave me this before running away! Obviously she wanted for me to have something to remember her by! Of course, she's given me lots and lots more memoirs over the two months we've been together, but that just shows how much she adores me!"

The blonde pointed to some more scars, not so fresh, which covered the rest of her arms.

Kyo gave her a look that clearly spelled out: D-E-L-U-S-I-O-N-A-L before standing up, the cat still in his arms.

"I'm sorry, but you are mistaken. This is my cat, this is my house, and since Yuki's not here, I can only guess what you did to him. Please go before I throw you out."

"But- but…"

"Yes?"

The little girl started crying. "YOU MEANIE!" she screamed before running out of the house.

Kyo followed her slowly, walking down to the first floor in time to hear a door slamming shut. And also to see Yuki falling down gently from where he had been pressed to the wall. Oh geez. It looked like that girl had also slammed the door forcefully open, trapping Yuki to the wall.

"Hey, Yuki, you ok?"

Yuki stood up, took a deep breath, and, "NO, KYO I AM NOT ALL RIGHT! WHAT DID YOU THINK? THAT I GET SQUISHED BY LITTLE GIRLS SLAMMING THE FRONT DOOR OPEN EVERY DAY? NO, I DON'T!"

"Ok, ok, chill. You usually don't shout this loud."

"I usually don't get injured twice in the same day either…"

"Eh, true. I'll get you some ice. There's a bruise on your cheek…"

Yuki put his hand up to his right cheekbone, and winced. There was indeed a bruise on his cheek. Kyo walked away, and the black cat slipped out of his arms and ran to Yuki, looking worriedly up at him. Yuki realized it was _that_ cat, the one that had injured him first.

"What do you want?" He asked, sitting down on the hardwood floor. She meowed. Well, of course she meowed, that's what cats do! But Yuki started stroking her fur lazily. (He's gotten over the fact that she sorta mauled him…but then, Yuki's good at forgiving.)

"What's your name?" he asked half-jokingly, not really expecting an answer. She ran away, surprising Yuki for a second, but then he sighed. It was expected. No cat would like him. Should like him. Could like him.

But then a second later, there was a meow beside him, a furry body pressed up against his hand. He looked down to see the black cat holding a jeweled black collar in her mouth, with a name tag on it. Yuki took it hesitantly and read the name: Kat. Oh, so the cat's name is Kat…

Kyo came back at that moment, with a bag of ice wrapped in a towel in his hands. "What's that?" he asked curiously, espying the black collar in Yuki's hands.

"I think it's _her_ collar," Yuki answered, the emphasis on her leaving Kyo no doubt who he was referring to.

"Oh, really? What's her name?"

"Kat."

"Yes, I know she's a cat, now what's her name."

"Her name is KAT!"

"Cat? What? That unoriginal?"

"KAT!"

"Yes, CAT!"

Yuki stuck the collar tag under Kyo's nose. "NO, BAKA, K-A-T, not C-A-T."

"Oh, I see…but still, how unoriginal."

Yuki rolled his eyes. "I think it's nice." he said firmly. "It suits her."

Kyo gave him a weird look while passing the gray-haired boy the ice. "Have you gone crazy? Do you not remember that she MAULED you this afternoon!"

Kat looked down at the floor in shame at Kyo's tone of voice.

"I know that Kyo, but, well, she's cute…and also has an owner unworthy of her. Really, that little prissy girl should get off her throne and start acting like a normal human being already. So let's keep Kat!"

Kyo still stared at him in disbelief while Yuki held the ice to his cheek. It felt nice, cold, numb. "Ok…but we are not keeping all of the other cats in this house! That would cause havoc!"

Yuki smiled. "Of course we're not. Well, unless they just stay here and don't want to go like Kat. After all, you aren't going to kick the poor kitties out, are you?"

Kyo's face softened. "Of course not. And this is too ironic. _You're_ sticking up for cats?"

Yuki sighed. "Yes, I am. After all, weren't the cat and the rat friends before that big fiasco?"

Kyo's brow knitted in a small frown, and Yuki wondered if he had crossed some invisible line that forbade the two of them from talking about the two spirits that lived in them. But then the orange-haired teen relaxed, and Yuki did also.

"I suppose. But we really don't know, do we? But I guess so. Otherwise the cat wouldn't have been so trusting of the rat." He reached out and took Yuki's hand, running his fingers over it and studying it as if it was something precious. "But that's in the past. It doesn't matter now. We're together."

And by Kyo's tone of voice, Yuki knew he wasn't just talking about the cat and rat of long ago. He was talking about that fiasco back in their world, and they both knew it didn't matter anymore.

_Yuki will still have hope. _

_Kyo will still smile a true smile. _

_And they'll be together and happy._

_The past didn't matter. Akito didn't matter._

And they both knew it, although they were only thinking of their own experiences with Akito, having no knowledge of the other's. Yuki leaned in slightly, just enough to brush Kyo's lips with his own. "Yeah. We're together."

He smiled, and Kyo did too, a slow, genuine, unique, only-for-Yuki smile that softened the garishness of his orange eyes and hair.

There was a flash of bright light, and Kat, who had been sitting on the floor staring curiously at the pair, was suddenly confused as empty clothes floated down onto the floor. Where were they? She meowed, and pawed uncertainly at the cat's shirt. He certainly had been a strange cat. Beautiful, of course, but his coloring _was_ all wrong. And he had loved the rat. And he had been mad when she had tried to protect him. How did that work?

Kat's black whiskers twitched with her muddled thoughts. And she decided to give it up after a few seconds. She didn't know how that worked. But maybe it was the fact that the love was impossible that made it all the more strong. Maybe. But all she knew was that now she would think twice before chasing any sort of rodent, ever again.

-----

A/N: I've come to the conclusion that I'm writing this story solely for the purpose of doing lots and lots of crossover couples with little plots of their own in only one story. I'm achieving that quite well. Oh, and yes, I will be completing the YukiXKyo by following them back to their own world and finishing up their story. It shall be very fun to write. -smiles-

Thanks for reading and for the reviews. I shall be going to work on my homework now…


	7. America and Kat

Disclaimer: Don't own Fruits Basket, Naruto, or Sukisyo.

-----

-Chap. 7, America and Kat-

A flash of light and they were back again, Yuki was back to trying to block out the sounds of Shigure singing in the shower, and Kyo was back up on the roof, staring at the clouds adding to the perfection of the calm blue sky. The clouds hadn't moved, he noted, and wondered if all that had happened had been a dream.

After a few minutes, Yuki climbed up to the roof too, sprawling out gracefully beside Kyo and averting his eyes to the clouds as well.

With the silence stretching on, Yuki gathered up his courage and asked, "Was…was that all a dream?" It was so quiet he seemed to be talking to himself. Kyo didn't answer, although he heard the question, leaving Yuki to stare at him.

But then, just when Yuki turned his head back to face the clouds, "It couldn't have been a dream if we both experienced the same thing." And as an afterthought, "Stupid rat."

Yuki relaxed, glad at least in the comfort that he hadn't gone insane. Or, if he did, Kyo had gone with him. "So what does that mean?"

"Hmm?" Kyo was still entranced by the clouds above, and Yuki was feeling the faint stirrings of annoyance. This was an important conversation they were having, so would he pay _attention_ already! "What does what mean?"

Yuki struggled to keep his anger in check, not liking the fact that Kyo was brushing him off, and even more disliking the fact he was angry. Wasn't Kyo supposed to be the hot-headed one? But then, the stupid cat always did manage to provoke him… "What we did over there. What we promised each other. What does that mean for us here, now?"

Kyo kept silent, not even turning his head. Yuki debated smacking his damn orange head, but decided initiating a fight wasn't worth it, since one on the roof would probably bring the whole house down around Shigure's ears. He just started standing up, brushing imaginary dust from his clothes.

If Kyo just kept ignoring him, he felt there was no reason for him to go through the trouble of staying here, after all. Yuki didn't admit to himself it stung and hurt to be treated like this, as if nothing had changed. This was how things had gone on before. And Yuki was sick of it, sick of just how affected he was and sick of how Kyo didn't care. Yuki turned to go.

A hand reached up and snagged his elbow before he could take a step, and Kyo's voice rang out from beneath him. "Yuki, you must see that a resolution in that world would be different from action here." This was different from the normal Kyo, no brashness was in his tone, no spark in his eyes. "Do we really want to incur Akito-sama's wrath just for this?"

The orange haired teen motioned between them, his eyes clearly begging for Yuki to understand, but Yuki just felt fury and disappointment and who knew what else bubble in his stomach.

"What are you so _afraid_ of, you damn cat? I would face Akito _any day_ to preserve our relationship, but you- YOU! seem so afraid of something! And you won't tell me what!" Kyo shrank back at Yuki's verbal stabs and tried to interrupt, but Yuki cut him off. "You're keeping secrets from me, and letting this rift between us get wider and wider and pushing me away when I want to help! Well, I can't taking it anymore!"

This was the crux of Yuki's feelings. Couldn't Kyo see that they were going to lose each other if this went on? Didn't he care? Maybe he didn't, but Yuki was determined to find out just what Kyo felt with this ultimatum.

"I **won't** take it anymore! Either you commit to our relationship or you leave! Then we can mutually ignore each other, and I won't feel like an utter _fool_ whenever you push me away!" Yuki's eyes were blazing, and Kyo couldn't meet them, knowing Yuki had meant each and every word.

Kyo licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry, and tried to stall. He opened his mouth, to fill up the silence with some reassuring phrase that would mean nothing in the long run, but found he couldn't speak. Hadn't this been the problem, before that trip to that other world? They hadn't spoken the truth to one another.

"Yuki…" Kyo's eyes flickered up to those stormy eyes and held. "What did Akito-sama say to you that night?"

"Huh?" Yuki felt Kyo's hand slide off his elbow, but now that gaze was trapping him. "What night?"

"You know…New Years, when you came back terrified out of your wits. What…what did Akito-sama say?"

"Kyo, you haven't answered my question yet."

"Yuki, I will, I promise. It's just…I want to tell you the truth." Kyo bit his bottom lip in nervousness, wincing when one of his feline-sharp teeth punctured the skin.

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah, I really do. Will you sit down and tell me?"

Yuki considered the offer for a second, wondering whether he should. It did seem like Kyo was about to crack, and he did want to know…

Yuki sat down cross-legged on the roof, staring off into the distance like Kyo. "I was thinking of you all through the banquet. I thought about how lonely you would be, and I suppose my worry showed in my countenance…Akito-sama was suspicious, and called me into his room after the feast ended." Yuki bowed his head, staring down at his twisting hands. "He guessed who I was thinking about."

Yuki paused now, letting the memory wash over him. His tone was neutral, no emotions showed on his face, and yet his insides were in turmoil. That night…

"And then?" Kyo prompted, snapping Yuki out of his reflections.

"And then I tried to deny it, but he knew, and he started threatening you. He said he'd lock you up until you died, trapping you in darkness." He took a deep breath. "I…I snapped. I defied him and ran out until I reached you…"

He stopped talking suddenly, wondering why Kyo was taking this. Should he go on? Yuki wanted to…and so he did. "You ignored me after that night. I was so scared, and you abandoned me when I needed you the most…why, Kyo? Why did you push me away?"

Yuki turned in time to see Kyo avert his eyes, and the grey-haired teen waited in expectation. It was Kyo's turn now…

"Why were you scared for me? Why did you care what Akito-sama did to me?"

Yuki's eyes hardened into silver flints. Did Kyo not understand his feelings at all? "Do you really not understand? I wouldn't be able to survive without you, Kyo-"

"Oh, that's nonsense." The cat interrupted. Kyo knew these cliché sayings were pure BS. There was no way Yuki's love would be that strong, when Kyo didn't deserve him in the first place…"You'd get over me soon enough."

Yuki fumed. "Damn stupid _cat!_ I would _die_ if you were to go away. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Yuki suddenly grabbed Kyo's shirt collar, pulling them within a few inches of each other. He had to communicate this to the orange-haired boy. "What I am saying is the truth. I _love_ you Kyo, seriously love you. Don't you see it? Don't you see how you affect me? …Don't you feel the same way around me?"

"But to defy Akito-sama…"

"I _told_ you Kyo, I would go against him any day for you…"

Kyo took a shaky breath, he hadn't thought Yuki would've been that serious! He had thought…well, nevermind. It was his time to explain now. "Akito-sama summoned me the day before New Years. He…he _knew_ about us, Yuki. He told me…he said I was making you weak, and that he'd prove it, and it'd be my fault…" Kyo took a shuddering breath and went on, softer now. "And he was right…"

The two teens sat in silence, each waiting for the other to say something.

"…I need you Kyo." Yuki whispered into the wind. "Don't blame yourself for anything that happened to me. Just don't ignore me again…god, I wouldn't be able to take it if you did that."

Another silence pervaded the air.

"But I don't deserve you…"

"Hmm, well, I don't deserve you either, so it's fair." Yuki smiled. "I'm glad we told each other the truth."

Kyo was shocked. "Wait…you're happy?"

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"W-Well," he stuttered, "This is a momentous event! It's when we're supposed to get all angsty and argue and all that!"

Kyo felt Yuki's warm arms clasping his body, pulling him closer and whispering in his ear. "Kyo-kun, I don't follow _all_ clichés." Kyo relaxed visibly into Yuki's grip and sighed with contentment, wrapping his own arms around the other teen.

"But, you know Kyo, I _was_ serious…about not being able to survive without you. You know that, right?"

"Mmm-hmm." Kyo nodded slowly. "I sorta feel the same way too."

Yuki pulled back a bit and asked impishly, "Sorta?"

Kyo smiled sheepishly. "Well, I can't really outright say that I love you forever and ever, can I? It's too mushy for my tastes."

"Ah, I suppose…"

They held each other for a long time without noticing the passage of time.

"So, Yuki, what do we do now?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, we still have Akito-sama to deal with…" Kyo trailed off expectantly.

"Kyo…hmm, how to phrase this?" Yuki paused for a moment. "I- I think we, together, can be able to stand up to God."

"You do?" Kyo was skeptical, to say the least.

Yuki nodded with a smile. "Yes. I do think so. Don't you?"

Kyo looked down at the roof under their feet, then back up into Yuki's mesmerizing eyes. He loved this person, and this wonder of a person loved him back against all odds. Would he give that up? Well, that was an easy question to answer. Did he give up anything?

The orange-haired teen smiled – just a little uplifting of his lips really – and replied, "Yeah, I think so too."

The sun was halfway down the horizon, blinding their eyes and warming their hearts. It was a nice time of day, really. There was a little wind, not enough to be chilly but enough to shift Yuki's bangs over his eyes. Kyo brushed them away gently, then shivered comically and said, "We've been out here long enough, haven't we? Shigure will worry. Well, probably not, but still…he'll gobble up all the food. We should go in."

But just as Yuki was about to answer, they heard a call from beneath their feet.

"Yuki-kun! Kyo-kun!" Shigure's voice floated up to the roof, "Akito-sama is here!"

And despite the warm rays of bright sunshine, the blood ran cold in Yuki and Kyo's veins.

-----

Naruto heard sounds of splashing and shouts coming from a little distance away and turned his head lazily, thinking it was just a water fight or something. What he saw was not quite that playful.

His sharp eyesight picked out two figures, Sora and Nao he presumed, and it looked like…it looked like Nao was drowning and Sora was going after him! He turned to Sasuke and saw the other boy had seen it too, by the look of shock on his face. They stood, shocked into stillness for a second, then bolted into action. When they reached the other couple, Sora, or…was it only someone who looked like Sora? Naruto thought he looked slightly…off, somehow, was pulling Nao up and onto the shore, cradling the pink-haired boy in his arms as he coughed up water.

"Are you two all right?" Naruto called out in a frenzy as he rushed up. What had happened?

The one who looked like Sora looked up, surprise flickering in his eyes, and Naruto and Sasuke stopped, staring at his left eye that did not fit. Sora had blue eyes. This person had…one blue, one amber.

"Yes, we are both fine now." The person-who-was-not-Sora answered, his voice deeper than Sora's own.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, looking unfazed by this strange event.

The person weighed his answer, as if wondering what it would mean to them. "My name is Yoru."

Recognition sparked in Naruto's eye. "Oh, so _you're_ Sora's alter ego?"

A small wrinkle of distrust formed Yoru's brow. "Who told you that?" He was steadily plowing through the water, effortlessly holding Nao, or was that Ran?

"Sora did." Sasuke answered.

"Hmm…" Yoru shook his head slowly, wondering at Sora's level of sanity, to tell these strangers about him. Then he asked, "Where are we? I do not recognize this place…"

Naruto and Sasuke shifted uneasily, how _do _you explain to a stranger that he's in another world and that they know he's having relationship problems? Eh…

Well, Naruto, as he was always like this, just blurted it out. "You're in a different world, not where you came from. We, er, meaning Sasuke and I, know you're having relationship problems with, Ran, was it? And we're here to help."

With every word Yoru's eyes had narrowed a little more, and Naruto finally wondered if he had done the right thing, being all impulsive like that.

"And how have you two learned _that_?"

"Aa…Sora guessed and told us?"

At this answer Yoru seriously started doubting the mental stability of his alter ego. Was Sora on drugs? On alcohol? 'Cause he was seriously acting crazy. Yoru sighed. It was probably better to deny all this; these strangers wouldn't know any better.

"Ran and I are fine. Our relationship is fine, and Sora doesn't know anything. Just-" And then Ran, or Nao, whomever was in charge right now, stirred in Yoru's arms and pale eyelids opened to reveal eyes the color of garnets that matched perfectly with pink hair. Yoru swallowed suddenly and stopped walking out of the water, letting the waves tug at his legs. It was Ran.

"Yoru…" he exhaled, as if it could be his dying breath and he'd use it to breathe the name of the person holding him so tightly.

And Yoru panicked. In front of Sasuke and Naruto's startled eyes, Yoru seemed to lose his balance all of a sudden, and then he had fallen, taking Ran? Nao? down with him.

They ran to help the two before they drowned.

-----

Yuki and Kyo cautiously climbed down from the roof, and Kyo's hand was trembling a little, and Yuki tried to keep his breaths calm. Their scrambled thoughts were the same.

_What is Akito-sama doing here? What does he want? This cannot be good…he never shows up without a purpose. What if…what if he takes **him** away? _

And simultaneously their hands reached out for each other, and they looked at each other in surprise when they touched, hardly knowing that they _had_ consciously reached for one another, but then they both smiled and didn't let go. They both needed the comfort of a warm hand to hold on to right now.

They went into the house, quietly climbing down the steps to the first floor and moving towards the sound of Shigure's voice. They found him and Akito-sama seated around their dinner table, and the two teenagers cautiously crept in, hands still holding on. Akito and Shigure looked up at their entrance, God's eyes narrowing as he focused on their hands. Akito-sama icily intoned, "I would like to speak to Kyo-kun."

Shigure immediately stood up and went out, but Yuki didn't budge. After all, Akito hadn't told him to get out yet. "Alone." Akito pushed, his voice much more threatening.

Yuki sent a apologetic look to Kyo, who nodded to show he understood. But Yuki still didn't leave. He…he wanted to do something, to show Akito-sama he wouldn't win that easily. In a moment he leaned forward and brushed his lips against Kyo's own. It was just a brief coming together of lips, but it apparently got his message across. Akito was glaring viciously by the time he left, a quick squeeze of Kyo's hand the only goodbye he gave.

And now Kyo was alone…with Akito. With the person who was most opposed to his relationship with Yuki. He waited for God to speak, to announce his forthcoming punishment.

After a moment of tense silence, Akito spoke, his voice quiet yet deadly poisonous. "So, Kyo-kun, why have you not left yet?"

"Left?" Kyo questioned, a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Yes, Kyo-kun. Why have you not gotten out of my Yuki-kun's life yet? You are still affecting him, don't you see?"

He was trying to make Kyo insecure again, but Kyo resisted. Yuki had said himself that he needed Kyo in his life, and Kyo was not about to give him up.

"I may be, Akito-sama, but I do not think it is enough to have reason for me to move out." Akito's aura of venom thickened, but Kyo went on. "I am in the middle of the school year, and my teachers do not think it is wise to disrupt my educa-"

"Kyo," Akito interrupted impatiently, "we both know that is not the reason. Why do you not listen to reason? You are poisoning Yuki with your mere presence! You are making him weak! Why don't you just get out of his life? Nobody will miss you here."

Kyo's countenance had turned to stone, and Akito suddenly grew furious at the lack of reaction he was getting with his provocations.

"Kyo-kun," he hissed with his most dangerous tone. "you _will_ move out of this house, out of this town, and _out_ of Yuki's life. The cat has no right to be associating with the rat, and you are no exception. _Do you understand me?_" After getting no answer, Akito seemed to suddenly realize why Kyo was holding on so hard. "Kyo-kun, do you _really_ believe that Yuki loves you? What makes you think he _can_ love you? You are ugly inside and out, a sin that doesn't deserve life. How can _anybody_ think otherwise?"

Kyo's stony mask, his defense against Akito's destructive barbs, began to crack, to Akito's glee. The Sohma head of family grabbed Kyo's wrist harshly, beginning to drag the unwilling cat out of the room. "And when I show Yuki your ugliness," Akito continued, "he will leave you Kyo. I guarantee it." A maniac gleam started to take shape in Akito's eyes. "And I will laugh as your heart gets broken, Kyo-kun. I will laugh and laugh and laugh as you realize that _I AM RIGHT." _

Akito's hold was very strong despite his small body structure, and Kyo could not break his grasp even with his frantic struggling. Akito dragged him out and up the stairs, coming to a stop in front of Yuki's door. He slammed it open, and just as Kyo got a glance of a startled Yuki's face, Akito ripped off his bead bracelet, the one that insured…oh god. Kyo could see Yuki's eyes widening with horror, the reflection of his monster form staring back at him through those beloved eyes and he ripped himself away, unable to look at that face and see Yuki's feelings towards him turn to hate.

He wouldn't be able to face that- the fact that Yuki would become like everybody else and hate him, for something he had no control over. Kyo couldn't give even the slightest bit of hope that Yuki would be different, might not hate him, because it just wasn't possible. If…if his own _mother_ could not love the monster that he turned into, why should Yuki? The rat and the cat weren't meant to be. Never was, never will be.

Kyo smashed through a window, hitting the ground on paws and feet and immediately starting to run towards the forest. He would run away. Kyo hated to admit it but Akito _was_ right; he should get out of Yuki's life as fast as he could. It would be the best for the both of them…

Kyo bit back a sob as he thought of it: never being able to see Yuki ever again, never to see him smile or laugh or just live his life alongside of him. Maybe he would sneak back every few years or so, just to see Yuki? Akito surely wouldn't protest to that, especially if he never made himself known…

Tears streamed unheeded down Kyo's face now, and he didn't bother wiping them away. Nobody loved him now. He would always be the outsider, the loner, the CAT in the Zodiac – always too late. Why had he let himself get attached to Yuki in the first place? He had always known that someday, he would lose him, someday, he would get left behind.

Yuki stared after Kyo's form until it had vanished into the forest, before turning to Akito's smug expression. He scowled at his God, demanding, "What did you do to him?"

Akito slid closer, words slipping off his tongue, "Nothing, Yuki-kun. That's just who Kyo is on the inside. That's his ugliness. You shouldn't be touched by such a monster…you shouldn't, well, you can't possibly love him after seeing him like this."

Yuki's face contorted in anger, his eyes like stone. "What do you mean? It's not Kyo's fault that he's possessed by the cat! It's not his fault that he looks like that! And no matter _what_ he looks like, I _will_ stay by him! There is nothing that will separate us, Akito. Not even you, and don't you dare try again. Do you think you are invincible? As our God? Your children will revolt, Akito, no matter how tightly you tie us to you."

Akito was truly surprised by Yuki's response. He hadn't imagined that his Yuki would stay by the cat, not at all…was their bond truly that strong? But before he could do or say anything, Yuki was gone, running after his Kyo.

Yuki sprinted through the forest, following Kyo's obvious trail. He found his love in a clearing in the woods, and as Kyo (his eyes were the same, Yuki noticed) met his eyes he yelped. "Yuki, what are you doing? Go _AWAY!_"

Yuki just walked closer, not caring about Kyo's demand. "No. I will not go away."

Kyo was panicking. He couldn't let Yuki get close again, not when he was ugly and disgusting and… "DON'T YOU SEE ME?" he screamed. "CAN'T YOU SMELL WHAT I AM? I'M REPULSIVE! I'M A MONSTER! GO AWAY, YUKI, BEFORE I _MAKE_ YOU!"

Yuki took a few steps closer, until he was right in front of Kyo. "No." He repeated again, softly. "I won't leave you alone."

He took in the shivering, tear-stained face before him, before pulling him into his arms, letting him sob into his shirt. "You need me." He whispered. "And I love you. I'm not leaving."

There was a wonderful sense of freedom in the air, as Kyo's bottled up emotions finally cried themselves out to Yuki's listening heart, as they hugged each other throughout all obstacles.

Finally, Kyo sniffed and, having reverted back to his own form sometime earlier, whispered into their embrace. "I want for us to get away, Yuki. Away from Akito, away from anyone who would want to hurt us. Is that…running away?"

Yuki smiled. "It's freedom, Kyo. It's happiness for the both of us, and I want it too. And I think I know where we can go…"

"Where?" Kyo asked, his bright eyes shining with hope.

"Let's cross the ocean and go to America. Even if Akito were to follow us, he'd have to uproot the whole Sohma household, and he won't go to such drastic measures, because he knows we won't listen to him. Do you mind being disgraced in the eyes of the Sohma household, Kyo?"

The cat shook his head. "No, but our friends will come to visit, right? We won't be totally separated?"

"Yeah, they will." Yuki smiled, and Kyo smiled back.

A few hours later they were on a plane out of Japan, toward what they hoped to be a new beginning for the both of them.

-----

Naruto and Sasuke pulled Yoru and Ran out of the water, dragging the older teenagers with just a little difficulty. When they were both on the beach the two sputtered and coughed the water out of their systems, and it was a few minutes before they could talk.

"What happened?" It was Sora's voice again, so Sora was here now and not Yoru? It seemed like that.

"Ah…Yoru's gone…" But Ran was still here, and sounded so sad…

"You both almost drowned a number of times in the past 15 minutes." Sasuke informed them. "And we met Yoru, along with Ran." And then, turning to Ran, he asked, "Will you stay? We'd like to help you with whatever's the problem between you and Yoru."

Ran looked up into Sasuke's eyes and nodded, standing up and stretching as Sora did the same.

"But first," Sora added, "Can we go back to the beach house and get dry? It's freezing…"

"Of course!" Naruto answered and ran to get their things before walking back to the beach house.

-----

"Yuki-kun? Kyo-kun?" Naruto called as they walked in, and he frowned when he got no answer. "Do you think they're outside?" He asked Sasuke absently, before losing his balance and tripping on a piece of clothing.

"Gahh!" he shouted, falling on his thigh, before picking himself back up and glaring at the nuisance that he had tripped upon. To his surprise, it was the shirt that Yuki had been wearing. Looking down at the floor, he found more clothes, all that Yuki and Kyo had been wearing…

"Hmm…" the blonde wondered, before saying, "Sasuke, you get Sora and Ran some towels, I'll pick these up and put them in the laundry…"

The three behind him went up the stairs and Naruto piled up all the clothes, all the easier for him to pick them up. As he did, a black cat suddenly appeared, blinking at him. He blinked back.

"Who are you?" he asked, reverting his attention back to the clothes in his arms. Naruto almost tripped again in shock when a voice, decidedly human, answered, "Kat."

The blonde looked over at where the cat used to be, and saw a young girl there now, with black hair, cropped short, and black eyes. She, thankfully not like the other people who had been popping up, was clothed.

Naruto's mouth fell open, and it took a second before he could ask, "How did you get here? And why were you just a cat?"

Kat smiled. "Oh, I come with the house. I'm sort of its guardian and whatnot. And I'm usually a cat because it's easier to survive like that than as a human. And it's fun, scaring all the people who come here when I change back." She looked at the clothes in Naruto's arms. "Oh, and Yuki and Kyo went back to their own world. They had done as much as they could in this world, and don't worry, I'm sure they'll both be happy."

"Oh, ok…" Naruto muttered. "So are you going to stay around? In human form, I mean."

"Oh no, it's too bothersome. I'll just change back whenever I want to…" With a wink and a quick "Ja ne," she changed back into a cat.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched (she preferred being a cat to being a human?) and he said, "Fine fine, be that way. Lazy-ass."

And from above him, on the stairs, Sasuke's voice drawled out, "Why are you talking to a cat, Naruto?"

-----

Um, right…this chapter was posted because I knew I was being extremely lazy, and it might suck because I didn't know what to write half of the time. But it's done, and yeah…

Accept this authoress's apology?

New pairings next chapter. Suggestions welcome.


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